Was Thor Heyerdal's Kon Tiki voyage an unintentional decoy to discovering the true origins of the distinctive yet silent statues of Easter Island? In December of 1862 eight ships approached a volcanic island located in the far reaches of the Pacific Ocean. This was the year that the fate of the island's beleagured population was sealed; a population that had evolved in cultural isolation to produce works of art that have become one of the wonders of the world.
A house post at 'Orongo (below) with bas relief carvings that include faces, birdmen, cupules, and komari. In contrast to most other komari at the site, these are in bas relief.
Other motifs here are Makemake faces (Makemake was the creator god of the island), komari designs (vulva forms), and cupules (small pits worked into the rock surfaces, about the three to five centimeters in diameter). Some of the larger cupules may have held pigment for tattooing, but most are either on sloping surfaces or are too small to be functional.
Aside from the sacred site of Orongo with its plethora of rock carvings, other sites around the island contain some amazing designs-and many are of considerable size. One great panel is ten meters long!
Overall, 4000 petroglyph motifs were documented, plus several thousand cupules. Most of the latter are used as decorative elements surrounding large panels of designs.
The technique known as bas relief is unusual in Polynesia but common on Easter Island where deeply carved motifs stand out clearly due to light and shadow effects. In some instances, petroglyphs were painted, particularly with pigments of red and white.
Rapa Nui Rock Art - Page [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10]
