article

The birdman motif of Easter Island

Journal of new world archaeology • 7 (1) • Published In 1986 • Pages: 39-49

By: Lee, Georgia.

Abstract

Seventeenth century civil wars saw the destruction of ceremonial platforms and statuary, and a breakdown in the traditional Rapa Nui clan system based on ancestor worship. The ancestor cult was replaced by one in which leaders were selected from the winner of an annual competition to procure the first egg of the season from a bird colony on a nearby islet. The author carried out an extensive survey of carvings and petroglyphs, most using a birdman motif associated with the new cult. She attributes the carvings to a priestly class, documenting and commenting on stylistic changes over time.

HRAF PubDate

2016

Region

Oceania

Sub Region

Polynesia

Document Type

article

Evaluation

Creator Type

Archaeologist

Document Rating

5: Excellent Primary Data

Analyst

Ian Skoggard ; 2012

Field Date

1981-1986

Coverage Date

1600–1878

Coverage Place

Orongo, Easter Island, Valparaíso, Chile

Notes

Georgia Lee

Includes bibliographical references

LCCN

77641928

LCSH

Easter Island