moai kavakava

statue

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Last updated

June 30, 2026

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Moai kavakava are small wooden statues from Easter Island that are thought to represent ancestors as skeletons. These figures, along with the female moai paepae, were sometimes used in fertility and harvest rituals, with offerings of fruit placed around them. They were also kept in homes for possible decorative or private ritualistic use, and sometimes handled as if they were dolls.1

The moai kavakava depict a slumping human form, revealing the rib cage and spine through decaying flesh. They feature circular eyes under bushy brows, a prominent beak-like nose, and an open mouth with bared teeth. A goatee adorns the chin, and sometimes a carved animal or human figure is on the head.1

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moai figure
…skeletons, are of two types, moai kavakava (male) and moai paepae (female). They were sometimes used for fertility rites but were more often used for harvest celebrations, during which the first picking of fruits was heaped around them as offerings. During the time between these public festivals, the statues were…
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…skeletons, are of two types, moai kavakava (male) and moai paepae (female). They were sometimes used for fertility rites but were more often used for harvest celebrations, during which the first picking of fruits was heaped around them as offerings. During the time between these public festivals, the statues were…
Read More