Hoa Hakananai'a

I just purchased this great Moai. It was bought about 20 years ago by someone on Rapa Nui, who took it back to Tahiti, and then my seller took it back to France.

It's based on the Hoa Hakananai'a, a great 4 tonnes Moai stollen by a british boat, the H.M.S Topaze in 1868, and taken to the queen who put it to it's present location : the british museum.
This Moai meant a lot to the population, it represented the changing of the religion, from the Moai to the Bird-Man, as you can see the details on it's back.

Here's a picture of the original with Cheekytiki's great-grandfather :

[ Edited by: virani 2005-12-02 05:33 ]

Excellent find Mr Virani, really Nice Moai. I Love the story that comes along with it too! Thanks for sharing.

Absoulutely beautiful moai, Virani! It's excellent that you were also able to get such a clear provenience on it as well.

Thanks for sharing this beauty!

amiotiki

In Arnold Jacoby's 1967 biography of Thor Heyerdahl, "Senor Kon-Tiki", there is a great photo of Thor's wife in Oslo unpacking Tikis (p.320), the one on the left looks like it could be from the same carver...
I wonder if they still make carvings as nice as this on Rapa Nui.

Thanks a lot Amio, Benz, Bigbro. I really like it too.

Bigbro, I don't have the book, can you or someone else scan the picture for me please ???

Awesome find V. Beautiful carving.

After spending so much of my Moai attention on the main front faces, it was nice to see some fine, detailed linework on the back. Some of the linework, from a distance, could even look like the Hair of the Moai.

This could be the start of a new trend for me - whenever I see a Moai, I'll wonder if there is a secret message on the back.

Vern

Very nice find Virani!

I think that moai is from the colder part of Rapa Nui. :o

Nice score.

On 2005-12-02 14:03, ikitnrev wrote:

This could be the start of a new trend for me - whenever I see a Moai, I'll wonder if there is a secret message on the back.

The 8 ft Moai that Leroy carved for me out of a dead tree in my front yard in 1994 has such a "secret" birdman carving on the back/side. One has to squeeze into the bushes to see it. It's cool, because the Tiki looks very simple and grand from the front, without the ornate "secret" carving disturbing that elegance.

Virani, sorry, I don't have a scanner...and if I'd start posting pics on top of text, I would never get off TC.

[ Edited by: theARTFINK 2005-12-02 22:11 ]

I think this be it.

Hey, thanks. Of course, I knew this picture from another book...
The Kava Kava is also really impressive.

On 2005-12-02 05:32, virani wrote:
I purchased this great Moai, based on the Hoa Hakananai'a, a great 4 ton Moai stolen by a british boat, the H.M.S Topaze in 1868, and taken to the queen who put it to it's present location : the british museum.

Here's a picture of the original with Cheekytiki's great-grandfather :

[ Edited by: filslash 2008-09-15 15:22 ]

I went to see this Moai again today and spoke to someone at the museum about it. I always thought there were only 2 Moai outside of Rapa Nui, but there is the one at the Smithsonian, one in Bruxelles and dare I say it, but the British museum actually has Two!
I have booked to go see it and other things they have in store and will let you know.
Anyway there are also loads of other cool easter Island artifacts that I never knew of which will all soon go into their new Pacific Room.

damn. When I went there, I only saw the big room with the Moai, and found nothing else. I knew that the museum got lots of other artifacts, but thought there were sold to other museum...

I ran across this thread for the first time recently and thought I'd add two magnifications of the same picture I shot in the British Museum last October:

Can anyone tell us about the moai-like faces? The one at the upper right is most visible.

I wish they sold good replicas like they do of the Rosetta stone.

On 2006-03-03 07:16, cheekytiki wrote:
I went to see this Moai again today and spoke to someone at the museum about it. I always thought there were only 2 Moai outside of Rapa Nui, but there is the one at the Smithsonian, one in Bruxelles and dare I say it, but the British museum actually has Two!

don't forget the one in New Zealand at Otago Museum! (linked)

and, as in the last thread on this subject, I'll mention there is a really good book about Hoa Hakananai'a published by the British Museum.

On 2007-04-23 00:04, tikijackalope wrote:
Can anyone tell us about the moai-like faces? The one at the upper right is most visible.

Those figures on the the back of the moai are 'ao (paddles):