 For more information - contact: James L. Amos Corsica Neck Road. P.O. Box 118 Centreville, Md. 21617 | This wooden statue, Moai Kavakava ( image of ribs), depicts a bearded, emaciated man whose ribs and vertebrae are grotesquely extended. It is said to represent the spirits of dead ancestors (Aku Aku). According to the local tradition, as Chief Tuu-ko-ihu was returning home, he saw two such spirits who had protruding ribs and hollow bellies. These Aku Aku later appeared to him in a dream. Other Rapa Nui wood carvings include: statues of female figures (moai pa'a pa'a), paddles (rapa), clubs (ua), staffs ('ao), lizards and birdman images (tangata manu). Today, most of the original wood sculptures reside in museums around the world - estranged from their ancestral home. The islanders still carve these statues; continuing a tradition which, to this day, commands respect and admiration from visitors - not to mention cash receipts that benefit the local economy. Ingrained Images: Wood Carvings from Easter Island By Joan Seaver Kurze, Ph.D. Photographer's Notes: This Photograph of an Easter Island Kavakava was made at the M.H. de Young Memorial Museum in San Francisco. This piece was possibly collected in 1835. It was suggested as a subject for a National Geographic project by Dr. Joanne Van Tilburg . At the time, she thought the red material in the eyes may be symbolic of cannibalism. There is certainly solid archaeological evidence of cannibalism on Easter Island. Because the little statue (about 12 inches) is shrouded in mystery, I decided to accentuate the mystery with lighting technique. I worked non-stop for eight hours to make this photograph. I used a technique called "painting with light", which is usually done with a continuous light source. But in this instance, I used multiple exposures, a warming filter was used on the light source and a diffusion filter on the camera lens. Polaroids were used to monitor progress. The camera was a 4X5 view. |
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- Easter Island Foundation