Most historians maintain that the Moai statues were carved by Polynesian settlers around 900 years ago.

The statues were placed on stone platforms called ahu. These platforms were not just tombs but also centers for Polynesian culture and rituals. The size and detail of the statues showed the ...

He’s a Rapanui, an indigenous Polynesian resident of Rapa Nui, as the locals call Easter Island; his own ancestors probably helped carve some of the hundreds of statues that stud the island’s ...