Moai Statues

1.      Polynesian colonizers sculpted the Moai statues. They are located on Easter Island, and are world famous for their mystery and their size. The native Polynesian people call the statues Moai which is where they got their name. The island that the statues live on is called Easter Island, it is named Easter Island because a Dutch explorer (Jacob Roggeveen) found it on Easter in 1722. The statues themselves are very mysterious and not much of their past is known. However it is thought that there are 900 statues in existence on Easter Island. Also natives believe that they are representations of the dead. They serve to watch over the Easter Island residents and protect them from the spirit world that existed in the water. People would leave the Moai statues offerings, as a token of respect so they would continue to protect them from the beyond. Infighting struck the natives as hardships such as famine arose. The men and warriors would fight for leadership which weakened their entire society. After the society was already weak Peruvian slave traders abducted many natives and put them in slavery. This is the reason the Moai statues are so mysterious, the culture around it was made practically extinct.

2.       These Moai statues communicate two themes. The first is protection and safety. The second is spiritual and earthly energy. The Moai statues communicate protection and safety in the way that they are designed, facing and watching over what would have been their people many years ago. They also communicate this in the serious expressions they have on their faces. Originating in their people’s beliefs the statues reflect what they were made for. They were supposed to act as anchors to the people’s ancestors that would protect them against the spirit world and provide what they needed. The statues are made of rock which shows the strength the designer wished for them to have. The second theme spiritual and earthly energy is shown mainly through the substance that they were made from and the expressions on their face. Their plain yet serious expression communicates an ancient vibe to the viewer. Beyond that the rock that the statues were made from ties the connection the people had with the statues to the earth. The blankness of the statues shows the spiritual connection they have, it shows that their purpose and their main theme. They were made to protect their people from the beyond and it shows.

3.       I find these statues beautiful because of their deep history and beliefs beyond their appearance. The way that their people made them and believed that they would protect them is amazing to me. The beauty is that they lasted so long, and were so valuable to a group of people long ago and we still know about them. The way they were carved is beautiful, the stone is beautiful, and the location is beautiful. Someone a long, long time ago made all those decisions and created these statues not just for art, but to represent safety to his people. Someone chose to put in a ton of effort and to believe in something grader then themselves and made beautiful sculptures. Although the deeper meaning behind the sculptures is what is the most beautiful the sculptures themselves are also beautiful. The dark rock and intricate carving of the faces is amazing, the way art links us to times that they we will never see is truly beautiful. Being connected is beautiful, whether that is to distant times, far off places, different cultures, it is beautiful and it is all represented in this one group of sculptures. The Moai statues are mysterious and amazing.