In 1960 at this ceremonial site all the moai were already toppled. Tourism was minimal and there were few photos of the area. Then the largest earthquake ever recorded occured in Chile and a tsunami raced out across the Pacific. It was a 9.5 on the Richter scale and the temblors lasted for 10 minutes. Due to the orientation of the bay, the tsunami waves were funneled and the power of the water washed these moai inland by 50 to 200 meters. It obliterated the ahu ,stone base and sent everything inland. The ahu would contain the bones of the ancestor that is being venerated. In addition the umbilical cord of youngsters would be placed inside as well. This tradition continues in the placenta is given to the parents of newborns here on the island and they will bury that in a ceremony. The tsunami waves spread across the entire Pacific with waves as tall as 35 feet hitting Hawaii and Japan. Over 200 people were killed in Japan alone. Years later a Japanese film crew came to film ii Easter Island and discovered the destruction at this location. The Japanese felt an affinity because they were also impacted by the tsunami. A Japanese Crane Company donated a crane and workers and they sent them to Easter Island to resurrect the statues. They had to go to old archaeological photos to try to determine which statue would attach to which head which would head would attach to which
Pukao, the red hats. It was painstaking work but it is quite impressive.
15 of these moai were resurrected.
The Pukao hsts were particularly damaged so they were not reattached
There are arms and hands also carved into each moai
A serene look
The positions were recreated from photos
Details from the hands, they had upward curved thumbs like me!
Thanks for the photo Patricia
All In a row
Assume the position
Make that 16 moai
See your butts! A shot taken from "behind"
Casting a long shadow
One of the oldest style of moai.
Old moai were occasionally reused as material for the Ahu base
I think I can figure the direction of the prevailing winds
