Moai moko

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Description of Moai moko

Moai moko is a half-human and half-lizard creature. Also the name of the wooden statues of this creature. These sculptures, often male, have an oval and flat head, separated by a well-defined neck, sometimes decorated with a zigzag pattern. The arch of the eyebrows hangs over the round eyes, which are clearly bulging. Birds or roosters are sometimes depicted on the top of the skull. The statuette has clearly depicted ribs, and the hands sometimes end in palms with long, curved fingers. The mid-back is a spine ending in a bird’s tail. There is a hole in the middle of the figurine, which made it possible to carry it on oneself or hang it horizontally.
They were placed on either side of the entrance to the houses for protection from ghosts. Moko was also worn around the neck of the dancers during community festivities.

Style Variations

Bold – Light – Solid – Duotone
Each variation is included in the file package

Easter Island Rapa Nui main description

Easter Island Rapa Nui Symbols Easter Island Rapa Nui is renowned for its massive stone statues, the moai, constructed on this tiny isolated island lying over 2000 miles from the coast of Chile. The moai constitute part of the short-term but magnificent cultural achievement of Easter Island, which lasted no more than 1400 years before being undermined by environmental degradation and endemic war- fare. Yet the moai were just one element of a remarkable artistic output. History, as much as art, made this island unique. But attempts to unravel that history have produced many interpretations and arguments. The missionary’s anecdotes, the archaeologist’s shovel, the anthropologist’s oral histories and boxes of bones have all revealed something of the island’s story. The motifs of Easter Island symbols are very diverse, ranging from simple cup marks to elaborate bas-relief carvings of subjects including anthropomorphs, ships and the birdman- an image which combines the body of a man with the head and beak of a frigate bird. This typology is a considerable achievement, and its presentation includes an analysis of the distribution of motifs across the island to show significant variability and patterning. It combines a very clear and precise descriptive prose with a splendid series of line drawings, although these pale in comparison with the magnificent color plates. The most important motif is the birdman. This figure pervades the rock art of Easter Island and is the theme for many variations such as a two headed birdman, a birdman with legs splayed and a birdman with human-like feet.