Minneapolis Institute of Art

Moai Kavakava

Easter Island

Date

18th century

Medium

Wood

Department

Arts of Oceania

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

Moai kavakava , or “image with ribs, ” is the most common form of wooden sculpture on Rapa Nui. These gaunt male figures, with their protruding bones and skull-like heads, probably represent the spirits of the dead. Little is known about their original purpose, but it is likely that they were worn around the neck during certain festivals. The extended earlobes, typical of this type of sculpture, are shown with cylindrical ear ornaments representing the actual shark vertebra earplugs once worn by the island’s inhabitants. Rapa Nui (Easter Island), Oceania

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