Post #558231 by Phillip Roberts on Wed, Oct 6, 2010 11:04 PM

On 2010-10-06 16:56, Robb Hamel wrote:

Polynesian canoes - especially the big, long-distance expedition ones (they're kind of the ancient equivalent of interplanetary spacecraft, huh?).

I have recently bought a few very large books that I love, and you will like.

"Vaka Moana: Voyages of the Ancestors. The discovery and settlement of the Pacific." University of Hawaii Press-2007. Edited by K.R. Howe.

"The Hawaiian Canoe" Editions Limited 2nd edition 1993 by Tommy Holmes.

These are both large volumes and while hard to find, quite worth the effort to do so.

Moai markings -

Sven has already pointed you toward Heyerdahl's two volume set. It is quite good.

The architecture of Rapa Nui - I keep hearing about ancient stone chicken coups, tombs, crematoriums, a solar observatory, cylindrical towers, a huge terraced ruin on the inside of Rano Kau, and much more. I've asked this before, kinda, but haven't seen the type of drawn reconstructions I'd expect - especially of their unique huts and how they where configured in family groups around the Moai.

There is not really a book on this subject yet, and I suspect there will not be soon. There is very little information about these structures due to their few numbers. Remember Rapa Nui is quite tiny.

Good luck.