Enjoying the Culture 161The island was also home to thousands of petroglyphs.
Most of these rock carvings depict birds, animals and
birdmen. The birdman (Tangata Manu) figures prominently
in Easter Island folklore. This creature has a bird’s head and
a man’s body and holds an egg in one hand. The cult of the
birdman originated near Orongo. He was said to be an earthly
representative of the creator god called Makemake. Each
spring, a contest was held between the clans. A representative
swam from Orongo to Motu Nui, a small islet nearby. The
goal was to find the first egg laid by the Manu Tara, a sacred
bird. During the search, other members of the tribe made
offerings and prayed to Makemake. The winner was the first
person to swim back to Orongo and present his chief with the
egg. This chief was then named ‘birdman’ for the year and
led a procession to Rano Raraku where he lived in seclusion
and enjoyed the favour of Makemake.
The Pascuenses (the Spanish term for the islanders) are
also known for their wood carvings, the most famous being
the Moai Kavakava (image of ribs). The small statue depicts
a bearded man with his ribs sticking out. It is believed to
represent the spirits of dead ancestors, called Aku Aku.
According to legend, Chief Tuu-ko-ihu saw two of these
spirits one night and they later appeared to him in a dream.
The people of Easter Island tattooed almost every part of
their bodies. Faces, necks, chests, abdomens, backs, and
legs were adorned with geometrical designs, and human
or bird forms.
The Rapa Nui relate the story of their arrival on the
island through the use of a game using string figures.
These are called kai kai. The player forms a figure using a
piece of string and through different finger movements is
able to alter the figure. Meanwhile, the player sings a song
describing how the original settlers built boats, sailed across
the ocean to Rapa Nui and then dismantled the boats to
build their first homes.
When the first Europeans arrived they did not find a
flourishing civilisation. Instead, they found a culture in
decline. It is believed that as the society grew and developed,
the island’s population reached 7,000. However, this growth