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Rapa Nui Research Paper

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THE RAPA NUI The Rapa Nui In this paper I will discuss the Rapa Nui and their arrival on Easter Island. I will cover the basic history of the Rapa Nui and their discovery and habitation of Easter Island. Further, I will review topics such as culture, marriage and family, religion, traditions and more. Rapa Nui is more commonly known as Easter Island, a province of Chile. Its official Spanish name is Isla de Pascua. It is one of the most isolated inhabited islands on earth, located in the southeastern Pacific Ocean. The island is triangular in shape, with three volcanic peaks, each one found at one corner of the island. Covered mostly in barren rock or grass and shrubs, the island was once heavily forested. The only …show more content…

Averaging 13 feet tall and weighing 12.5 tons, these statues are collectively known as aringa ora, or "living faces." The largest moai is “Paro”, standing 32 feet tall and weighing in at 82 tons. Some moai are topped with a cylindrical stone headdress called a Pukao, which was carved from red scoria rock. The moai were carved in volcanic calderas, which are volcanic features usually formed by the collapse of land following a volcanic eruption. Most of the moai are located in and around these calderas, but many have been moved and placed upon great stone platforms called ahus. The ahus were most commonly found along the island’s coastline, and were stood to face inland, perhaps to guard and protect the families that built them. Traditionally, most marriages were monogamous. Some of the more wealthy men would have more than one wife. Most of the marriages were arranged, many being betrothed in infancy. Nowadays marriages are by choice. The couple’s fathers are involved in approving and arranging the marriage. There are three ceremonies in a wedding: a civil ceremony, a church ceremony, and a large feast hosted by the groom’s father following traditional practice. After the marriage the couple will usually live with one of their families until a home can be built for them. Traditional basic family units

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