RAPA NUI - NORTH COAST

The Anakena area, featuring one of the only two accessible beaches on the island, most probably is the initial landing place of the Polynesians that arrived at the island at about AD 300. There are many engraved outcrops in the area. At Anakena there is a magnificent setting of huge, inland-looking statues of human figures, called moai (see photo at the Rapa Nui startpage). The backs of the hooded statues are delicately adorned with engravings, but also many stones in and around the ahu (ceremonial platform - do not access these platforms) have engraved stones. These mainly concern shaped stones that have been engraved afterwards. Some of these stones have clearly been re-used in building the ahu. The first photo shows at least one bird (right) possibly chasing another. The second photo shows two human figures with male gender indicated. They may represent twins, humans that are often highly venerated (also in American Indian cosmology).

Only a few kilometres further east from Anakena Beach is a low eminence with several engraved surfaces. Remarkable is a fish-within-fish engraving; a tail-of-fish engraving (not unfinished!) and a fine tuna engraving (first photo) associated with fish-hooks. At the bottom of the low hillock is an outcrop with many polissoir (tool-sharpening hollows) and a few true cupules (second photo). The islanders possibly thought that sharpening their tools at this specific spot would imbue their tools (and themselves) with a lot of mana (supernatural power).

Still further east is an extensive area with outcrops, boulders and many archaeological remains. In a fenced-off area is Papa Vaka (papa is the term for flat and smooth lava outcrops) with a fine collection of engraved outcrops. The first photo shows what probably is the representation of an octupus. The second photo shows the engraving of a large tuna and to the right of it, another fish, possibly a shark. The third photo shows a device that is typical for Rapa Nui and especially for the north coast, the fish-hook (sometimes with central cupule). On these panels cupules often are found associated with other figures or just in an apparently random position, such as the three cupules in the third photo.