"Easter Island heads have bodies" Topic

I don't know if someone already posted this. I wasn't even sure where to look. It is pretty interesting though.

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All manner of pulp games bring themselves to mind.

That's very cool. Thanks.

Way cool!

I thought that was already known.

They have known that the heads have had bodies for over 100 years, and they know this because the quarry where they carved the idols at have a half a dozen half finished idols lying around, and they all have bodies. This is only 'news' because someone found old photos and reposted them.

I too have heard that before, in fact I think even that ancient astronauts film from the 70s mentioned it.

Still cool, and brings to mind all manner of pulp plots. Those statues look to me so much like something drawn by classic Marvel Comics artist Jack Kirby.

Didn't they have hats, too? I seem to recall wide brimmed flattish hats.

Doug

Hah! That is interesting. Dean

Some of them had hats and white eye caps depending on the era they were created.

If Lord Elgin had been in charge of them, instead of govenrments, we would have known that a long time ago, when they were dug out and shipped to museums.

They did have hats, but they took them off because there are ladies present.

Anyone who has taken a more than cursory look at them knows they have bodies, even if the body is smaller than the head. They also have arms sculped on in bas relief, usually with their hands on their tummies, but that's harder to see. From what I was told, the "hats" actually represent topknots – the Rapanui people apparently favoured some pretty impressive Rasta locks, which they piled up on top of their heads.

All of the moa were knocked over about 200-300 years ago during a revolution. When non-Rapanui archeologists and the like show up and offer to "help" restore the moa, the descendents are inclined to decline the offer – their ancestors knocked the moa over for a reason, even if they don't know what that reason is!

One more thing – it was pointed out to me that the moa have their backs to the sea in almost every case, although that is a bit misleading. What was apparent to me is that the moa were facing the village that raised them. So when you add moa to your game, they should be looking at their village, not sitting with their back to it!

I though they were golems who were just having fun at the beach, waiting for their kids to dig them out of the sand that they buried them in.

I did not know this.

"If Lord Elgin had been in charge of them, instead of govenrments, we would have known that a long time ago, when they were dug out and shipped to museums"

The British Museum has a small one!

I understood after they cut the last tree down to move the statues, the ecology of their island crashed. They became disillusioned with their fertility gods (even though it was they who had peed off the Rap Nui Lorax) maybe the felling of statues relates to that

Wish I could remember the title of the book I read decades ago on Easter Island.

Might have been one of Heyerdahl's.

bradshawfoundation.com/thor

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If either it was the second.

Not sure why there is such surprise on the topic as the Heyerdahl books date from the mid 50s and 60s.

Heyerdahl did quite a bit of work there. I believe it inspired his Kon-Tiki voyage.

I didn't know they had bodies either.

What I really want to know, is if they have feet, and if so, are they barefooted, or wearing sandals?

No Easter Island but this thread reminded me of a drawing I did for a pulp RPG a while back

-Eli