Foundations

The Moai of Rapa Nui

Easter Island’s stone ancestors carry messages for the gods.

Philippa Joseph | Published in History Today Volume 72 Issue 7 July 2022

Moai at Rano Raraku. Travelling Otter/Wiki Commons.
Moai at Rano Raraku. Travelling Otter/Wiki Commons.

The monumental anthropomorphic stone sculptures – moai – of Rapa Nui, or Easter Island, are probably the best-known Polynesian art form. 

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