Wooden Moai?

The Rapa Nui have not only erected giant moai made of stone on their island, but have also carved moai as miniatures out of wood. These wooden sculptures are usually around 40 cm high, making them roughly the size of our MOAI giants.

They used toromiro wood for carving. The most common form is the “Moai kavakava” and shows a famished-looking man with clearly protruding ribs, an oversized head with long earlobes and a goatee. Its purpose is unknown. It is assumed that these are ancestral portraits with a protective spirit function, presumably representing Aku Aku.

Lieutenant Captain Wilhelm Geiseler visited Easter Island from September 20 to 25, 1885 on the German gunboat “Hyäne” and was commissioned to explore the island on behalf of the Imperial Admiralty. According to his report, Rapa Nui dignitaries wore 10 to 20 of these figures around their necks during processions. The rest of the time, the figures were wrapped in tapa bags and hung in the huts of the Rapa Nui.