What is the significance of the statues in chile

The crew was led to the location of Moai Hava at Mataveri, and collected this first moai on 2 November Soon after, Hoa Hakananai'a was discovered in the house at Orongo by two crew members searching the village. Commodore Richard Powell decided to unearth this second moai, with the intent of bringing them both to Britain.

The stone house was dismantled, and Hoa Hakananai'a transported on a sledge to shore. A Rapanui man, known as Tepano, subsequently recalled that the crew, followed by a Rapanui chief, dragged Hoa Hakananai'a down to the beach, before floating it out to the ship on a raft. Later, he had the scene tattooed on his arm. On 6 October , the arrival of the statue at the Museum was officially reported to the Trustees, marking the beginning of a new chapter in the complex history of Hoa Hakananai'a.

With him was also Moai Hava, who was donated directly to the Museum by the Admiralty. Following this request, a delegation from Rapa Nui was invited to the Museum. This official visit by representatives of the Rapanui community took place in November While in London in November , representatives of the Rapanui community invited Museum officials to Rapa Nui for further discussions.

This reciprocal visit took place in June British Museum staff were taken to see various cultural sites to better understand aspects of Rapanui culture, the significance of the statue, and the community's aspirations. Since then, there have been discussions about a Memorandum of Understanding between the Museum and the Rapanui community regarding possible collaborative projects.

The Museum recognises the significance of Hoa Hakananai'a and Moai Hava for the Rapanui community today, and acknowledges the impact of their removal from the island in The Museum is developing a long-term relationship with the community of Rapa Nui, to bring staff time and resources to collaborative research and reinterpretation of the Rapanui collections for the benefit of the community and the wider world.

Through the Memorandum of Understanding, we plan to develop mutually beneficial projects with artists, scholars and other community members in Rapa Nui. Hoa Hakananai'a represents one of the world's great sculptural traditions, and is a witness to the global significance of Rapanui culture.

Its presence increases public understanding of the history of Rapa Nui, its people's artistic achievements past, present and future, and the challenges faced by the community today.

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In their isolation, why did the early Easter Islanders undertake this colossal statue-building effort? Unfortunately, there is no written record and the oral history is scant to help tell the story of this remote land, its people, and the significance of the nearly giant moai that punctuate Easter Island's barren landscape. What do they mean? The moai and ceremonial sites are along the coast, with a concentration on Easter Island's southeast coast. Here, the moai are more 'standardized' in design, and are believed to have been carved, transported, and erected between AD and They stand with their backs to the sea and are believed by most archaeologists to represent the spirits of ancestors, chiefs, or other high-ranking males who held important positions in the history of Easter Island, or Rapa Nui, the name given by the indigenous people to their island in the s.

Archaeologist Jo Anne Van Tilburg , who has studied the moai for many years, believes the statues may have been created in the image of various paramount chiefs. They were not individualized portrait sculptures, but standardized representations of powerful individuals.

The moai may also hold a sacred role in the life of the Rapa Nui, acting as ceremonial conduits for communication with the gods.