All of the Moai lost their eyes during the Rapa Nui civil wars and Huri Moai (statue toppling). A team of archaeologists led by Sergio Rapu Haoa (in 1979) discovered that the Moai elliptical eye sockets were designed to hold coral eyes with a pupil made of black Obsidian or Red Scoria. This Ahu Tahai Moai had its Pukao topknot and coral eyes restored by the archaeologist William Mullo. TQ 2010 memory book image 2 of 11
Be they standing or toppled, the Moai give us a hint of past events on Rapa Nui. Much of that past was lost due to war, plague, or burning of written records by missionaries. Oral traditions combined with modern archaeology allow us to glimpse into the mysteries of Rapa Nui and to speculate about the root causes of such destruction. TQ 2010 memory book image 10 of 11
Anakena has two Ahus, one with a single Moai and other shown here with six. Oral traditions state that Anakena was the landing place where Hotu Matu'a, the Polynesian chief first settled on Rapa Nui. Anakena served as one of the locations of the 1994 Kevin Reynolds film, Rapa Nui. TQ 2010 memory book image 6 of 11
