History UsefulNotes / RapaNui

In the 1920s and The30s, the British occult writer James Churchward became fixated on Polynesia as the remnants of the proposed [[SunkenCity lost continent of Mu]], which he believed was somewhere at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean, leaving only its tallest mountains above the surface[[note]]It is now known that the Pacific Islands were formed by volcanic activity, not by the sinking of a larger continent - something that is considered geologically impossible[[/note]]. The moai of Rapa Nui, as well as the ruins of Nan Madol (another Pacific Island, now part of Micronesia), became key fixtures of his theories. Even though Churchward's name has been largely forgotten, his theories persist in pop culture, and most fictional depictions of the moai will link them to Mu, AncientAstronauts, or some other bit of occult lore.

More often than not, the fictional equivalent is just the extremely large moai head and neck, as opposed to a full-body moai; the most widely-known real-life moai are those on the slope of Rano Raraku crater, which are full-bodied statues buried up to their shoulders or necks in the ground. These moai were the most famous (and impressive) largely because they were the only statues that weren't toppled over in the 1700s, though many moai have since been re-erected. The pukao (a hat- or topknot-like adornment) is rarely seen, as are the coral eyes many of the statues once possessed. [[http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/50/AhuTongariki.JPG The statues as a whole are far from proportional, with the heads making up a considerable portion of their overall height, which varies considerably from statue to statue.]]

In the 1920s and '30s, the British occult writer James Churchward became fixated on Polynesia as the remnants of the proposed [[SunkenCity lost continent of Mu]], which he believed was somewhere at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean, leaving only its tallest mountains above the surface[[note]]It is now known that the Pacific Islands were formed by volcanic activity, not by the sinking of a larger continent - something that is considered geologically impossible[[/note]]. The moai of Rapa Nui, as well as the ruins of Nan Madol (another Pacific Island, now part of Micronesia), became key fixtures of his theories. Even though Churchward's name has been largely forgotten, his theories persist in pop culture, and most fictional depictions of the moai will link them to Mu, AncientAstronauts, or some other bit of occult lore.

Likely settled by Polynesians in the 12th century, the population grew to 15,000 by the 1600s, only to collapse following environmental degradation and overpopulation. By the time Europeans arrived in 1722, there were only a couple thousand islanders remaining. Wracked by disease and slave raiders in the 19th century, Chile annexed the island in 1888. The island was cleared of palm trees for settlements, and was rented out as a sheep farm until 1953. Despite this, Rapa Nui is still home to much unique and diverse wildlife. It is one of the most isolated inhabited islands in the world, with a distance of 2,075 km (1,289 mi) to the [[UsefulNotes/PitcairnIslands nearest inhabited island]].

In the 1920s and '30s, the British occult writer James Churchward became fixated on Polynesia as the remnants of the proposed [[SunkenCity lost continent of Mu]], which he believed was somewhere at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean, leaving only its tallest mountains above the surface. The moai of Rapa Nui, as well as the ruins of Nan Madol (another Pacific Island, now part of Micronesia), became key fixtures of his theories. Even though Churchward's name has been largely forgotten, his theories persist in pop culture, and most fictional depictions of the moai will link them to Mu, AncientAstronauts, or some other bit of occult lore.

* In ''ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes'', Calvin once decorated the front yard with a series of snow sculptures resembling the moai.

* The ''WesternAnimation/BlakeAndMortimer'' animated series has a two-parter episode titled ''The Secret of Easter Island ''. It's an original story with a mystery around, you guessed it, the moai.

* In a 1980s [[ComicBook/MickeyMouseComicUniverse Mickey Mouse comics]] that also stars Mickey's alien friend Eega Beeva, the Moai are a race of aliens who are [[WeaksauceWeakness allergic to chlorophyll]] and [[AncientAstronauts were venerated by the island's ancient inhabitants]], who built giant statues in their likeness. The aliens used the statues to hide emitters for their eventual return to Earth.
* The ''WesternAnimation/BlakeAndMortimer'' animated series has an original story with a mystery around, what else, the Moai statues.

* '''Country calling code:''' 56

Rapa Nui(English: ''Easter Island''; Spanish: ''Isla de Pascua''), is a Polynesian island and special territory of the UsefulNotes/{{South America}}n country of UsefulNotes/{{Chile}}. It is world famous for its moai, the nearly 1,000 large humanoid statues carved from volcanic stone that are found around the island.

Rapa Nui(English: ''Easter Island''; Spanish: ''Isla de Pascua''), is a Polynesian island and special territory of UsefulNotes/{{Chile}}. It is world famous for its moai, the nearly 1,000 large humanoid statues carved from volcanic stone that are found around the island.

* In a [[ComicBook/MickeyMouseComicUniverse Mickey Mouse comics]] that also stars Mickey's alien friend Eega Beeva, the Moai are a race of aliens who are [[WeaksauceWeakness allergic to chlorophyll]] and [[AncientAstronauts were venerated by the island's ancient inhabitants]], who built giant statues in their likeness. The aliens used the statues to hide emitters for their eventual return to Earth.

* In a [[ComicBook/MickeyMouseComicUniverse Mickey Mouse comics]] that also stars Mickey's alien friend Eega Beeva, the Moai are a race of aliens who are [[WeaksauceWeakness allergic to chlorophyll]] and [[AncientAstronauts were venerated by the island's ancient inhabitants]], who built statues in their likeness to worship them. Said aliens used the statues to hide emitters for their eventual return to Earth.

* In a [[ComicBook/MickeyMouseComicUniverse Mickey Mouse comics]] that also stars Mickey's alien friend Eega Beeva, the Moai are a race of aliens who are [[WeaksauceWeakness allergic to chlorophyll]] and [[AncientAstronauts were venerated by the island's ancient inhabitants]], who built statues in their likeness to wotship them. Said aliens used the statues to hide emitters for their eventual return to Earth.

[[quoteright:225:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Moai_Heads.png]]

'''Rapa Nui''' (English: ''Easter Island''; Spanish: ''Isla de Pascua''), is a Polynesian island and special territory of UsefulNotes/{{Chile}}. It is famous for its moai, the nearly 1,000 large humanoid statues carved from volcanic stone that are found around the island.

[[caption-width-right:225:"...catch a seagull in the sky, if he hollers, let him fly, my mother said to pick the very best head and you are... IT!"]]

'''Rapa Nui''' (English: ''Easter Island''; Spanish: ''Isla de Pascua''), is a Polynesian island and special territory of UsefulNotes/{{Chile}}. It is famous for its ''moai'', the nearly 1,000 large humanoid statues carved from volcanic stone that are found around the island.

!!Rapa Nui in fiction
* ''ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk1968'' #261, "Encounter on Easter Island!" involves a showdown between the Hulk and the Absorbing Man, after the Hulk washes up on the island's shores and discovers that the Absorbing Man had been using it as a hideout.
* ''Film/RapaNui1994'' is a very loose retelling of the island's societal collapse and how the ''moai'' statues came to be.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Gargoyles}}'': The episode "[[Recap/GargoylesS2Sentinel Sentinel]]" takes place on the island, where an alien sentry is convinced that the Gargoyles are enemies of Earth. The ''moai'' are revealed to be carved in his likeness.

* ''Film/RapaNui'' is a very loose retelling of the island's societal collapse and how the ''moai'' statues came to be.

* '''Capital and largest settlement:''' Hanga Roa

* '''Area:''' 163.6 km
(63.2 sq mi)

'''Rapa Nui''', also known as Easter Island and Isla de Pascua, is a Polynesian island and special territory of UsefulNotes/{{Chile}}. It is famous for its ''moai'', the nearly 1,000 large humanoid statues carved from volcanic stone that are found around the island.

* ''Film/RapaNui'' is a very loose retelling of the island's societal collapse and how the ''moai'' statues came to be.

'''Rapa Nui''', also known as Easter Island and Isla de Pascua, is a Polynesian island and special territory of UsefulNotes/{{Chile}}. The island is famous for its ''moai'', the nearly 1,000 large humanoid statues carved from volcanic stone that are found around the island.

Likely settled by Polynesians in the 12th century, Chile annexed the island in 1888. It is one of the most isolated inhabited islands in the world, with a distance of 2,075 km (1,289 mi) to the [[UsefulNotes/PitcairnIslands nearest inhabited island]].