Easter Island's “Sun Stones”: A Re-Evaluation

Bellwood Peter , Man's conquest of the Pacific (Oxford) (1979).

Buck Peter H , “Ethnology of Mangareva”, Bernice P. Bishop Museum, Bulletin 157 (1938).

Clark Malcolm A. , “Natural topography and archaeoastronomy on Easter Island.” Manuscript, collection of author (1984) n.d.

Ferdon Edwin Jr , “The ceremonial site at Orongo”, in Reports of the Norwegian Archaeological Expedition to Easter Island and the East Pacific, i, University of New Mexico and the School of American Research (Santa Fé) (1961).

Goldman Irving , Ancient Polynesian society (Chicago) (1970).

Lee Georgia , “Easter Island rock art: Ideological symbols as evidence of socio-political change”, Ph.D. Dissertation, University of California, Los Angeles (1986).

McCoy Patrick C. , “Easter Island”, in The prehistory of Polynesia, ed. by Jennings Jesse (Cambridge, Mass.), 135–66 (1979).

Mulloy William , “Investigation and restoration of the ceremonial center of Orongo, Easter Island, Part 1”, Bulletin 4, Easter Island Committee, International Fund for Monuments (New York) (1975).

Buck (1938: 414–15) states that the north and south passages of the sun were noted in Mangareva and Hawaii by observing its position at dawn in relation to natural topographical features.

The birdman cult was a late development on Easter Island, probably beginning around a.d. 1550. The stated purpose of the spring ritual was to obtain the first egg of the sooty tern from the off-shore islet of Motu Nui. The contestant (or his servant) who obtained the egg and successfully brought it back to Orongo was declared birdman of the year, an important status position. This cult was under the control of a powerful warrior class who wrested power and status from the traditional hereditary chief ( Lee , 1986: 257).

Buck (1938: 415) translates the word ‘Poike’ as “…to be seen just above the horizon, to rise in connection with stars”.