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Easter Island, Chile 2003

Profile of a Moai at Ahu Tongariki

2003-12-02

He's an impressive work of art when you get close.  Notice the face proportions make the ears very large, even though the placement is correct.  The Rapa Nui people did elongate their ears with earrings and weights.

If you look closely at the eye socket, you can see the ridge they put the coral and obsidian eye onto.  When the Moai were toppled, the eyes fell out and were either broken, or removed later.  I was told the Moai weren't "alive" unless the eyes were present.  I only was the one "live" Moai, at Hangaroa (see gallery 3).