New ‘Easter Island statue’ found in volcanic crater’s dry lake on Rapa Nui

Another of the world-famous moai has been found on Rapa Nui. Photo / Marc Shields

Researchers have found a new Moai statue in a dry lake on the Chilean island of Rapa Nui, joining the approximately 1000 other iconic monolithic sculptures on what is internationally known as Easter Island.

The statue is relatively small at 1.6 metres, compared with some of the other broadly featured heads and torsos that reach as tall as 22 metres. It was found by researchers from the University of Chile and O’Higgins University.

More statues might be found in the dry lake, which is at the centre of the Rano Raraku volcanic crater, said Salvador Atan Hito, vice president of the Ma’u Henua indigenous community that manages Rapa Nui’s archeological treasures.

“The statue “is in good condition, it has wear from time, erosion, water, but its shapes and features are still very noticeable”, Atan said.

“This discovery is something historic for this new generation,” he added.

About 400 of the island’s 1000 moai are inside the volcanic crater or on its outer slopes, and the rest are scattered around the rest of the island’s 160sq km. Just last year, some Moai were damaged in a volcanic fire, which saw 100 hectares of Rapa Nui set ablaze, according to a statement from the Municipality of Rapa Nui.

Some of the Moai are known to be buried under the surface though they have been left in place. However, this latest one had not previously been catalogued, Atan said.

The stone figures represent the ancestors of the Rapa Nui community, and their role is to protect community members, which is why they were placed looking inward from the sea, Atan said.

Rapa Nui, located 3700km from the continent, was declared a Unesco World Heritage Site in 1995. In 2019, it was renamed “Rapa Nui-Easter Island” from its previous name Easter Island.

Associated Press with additional reporting.