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Answers to the so-called mysteries of the moai on Easter Island are hidden in plain sight

NPR
Published April 15, 2022 at 1:20 PM EDT
15 moai standing watch at Tongariki on Easter Island. The largest moai on the 720-foot-long platform weighs 97 tons. The site was restored between 1992 and 1996 at a cost of over $2 million, paid for by the Japanese government(Karen Schwartz/AP)
15 moai standing watch at Tongariki on Easter Island. The largest moai on the 720-foot-long platform weighs 97 tons. The site was restored between 1992 and 1996 at a cost of over $2 million, paid for by the Japanese government(Karen Schwartz/AP)

It’s been 300 years since European explorers landed on a South Pacific island on Easter Sunday — and named it Easter Island.

Upon discovering the massive rock sculptures, called moai, several Western theories were born about them and the people who created them. But the people native to the island have long revealed details about the moai that negate those theories.

Felix Poon of the podcast “Outside/In” from New Hampshire Public Radio explains.

Listen to the full episode here.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.