Easter Island and the cult of the Bird-Man
I was on Easter Island in 2018. I went there primarily to see the amazing statues of moai, about which there were many theories as to the reasons for their creation, the ways of carving and transporting them and the purpose for which they were placed throughout the island. They are indeed amazing! But this is not the only interesting story and custom that was popular on Rapa Nui.
Easter Island is one of the most isolated islands in the world. It is not very clear where and how people came to Rapa Nui. The most likely theory is that the island was settled by Polynesians and/or Hawaiians. The island, although small, has a turbulent history – tribal struggles, famine and cannibalism, the erection of large statues, the undeciphered and forgotten rongorongo script and the extermination of almost the entire population of the island – from slavery to diseases brought from the mainland and by European explorers.
When the erection of moai statues began to go down in history, the cult of the Man-Bird i.e. Tangata Manu appeared on Rapa Nui. Probably the cult was derived from the belief in the god Make Make, the creator of humanity and the god of fertility. God was in the form of a man with the head of a bird. Besides, the birds on Rapa Nui are extremely appreciated, probably because Easter Island does not abound in other animals that can provide meat to the inhabitants. One of the largest animals on the island was rats until the colonizers brought sheep and some horses to the island. Another theory is that the moai statues were erected in honor of the first settler – Hotu Matua, who one day was to return to the island in a white canoe. Every year, this promise was reminded of by a flock of birds, and the first egg laid during the breeding season had a special power.
Of particular interest is a certain type of tern – mana tara (lat. Onychoprion fuscatus). These terns laid eggs on the nearby rock islet of Motu Nui. The ritual and race of Tangata manu i.e. the Man-Bird, took place every year during the breeding season of terns. The inhabitants of the island believe that the world is connected by the same spiritual energy that permeates all living things as well as all things. The ritual began with the rite of ivi-attua bards, who in a trance selected young men from each clan for an extremely difficult race for the mana tara egg. The ritual began in the village of Mataveri, at the foot of the extinct volcano Rano Kau, with feasts and dances, during which several clan sacrifices were sacrificed and then devoured. Probably ritual murders were carried out in the cave of Ana Kai Tangata, this place can also be visited on Easter Island. Also the most beautiful virgins were selected from each clan, who waited for the outcome of the race in the stone houses of Orongo. Young competitors, called hopu, jumped from the precipitous cliff of Orongo measuring 250 meters, then swam 1.6 km to Moto Nui and after climbing the rocks of Moto Nui they had to find the tern’s egg. Of course, terns defended their nests, fiercely attacking the hopu. The egg was placed on the forehead and tied with a headband. The way back was even worse, because at the end we had to climb the 250-meter Orongo cliff. Many daredevils died during the cliff jump race, attacked by sharks or pushed by strong currents or exhaustion. The winner was the one who first climbed the cliff and handed the whole, undamaged egg to his chief. The chief of the victorious clan ruled the island for a year, and he also had the charms of the most beautiful Rapa Nui virgins. The winning clan had priority in collecting eggs and chicks from Motu Nui, while the winning hop was given the glory and title of Man-Bird as the representative of the god Make Make on Earth. The last Tangata Manu competition was held in 1888.
The history of Tangata Manu racing is the subject of the 1994 film “Rapa Nui” directed by Kevin Reynolds. It’s worth watching, because these races can no longer be seen. Perhaps one day they will be resumed when the population of the island recovers, although it may be better not to return to this tradition…