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Easter Island: Early Witnesses
William Thomson
496
December 28.-Shortly after daylight the entire
force started making excavations under the
foundations of the image-builders houses, the
ruins of which extend towards Rana Roraka from
Tongariki Bay, on regular terraces. These
peculiar ruins are to be found here in great
numbers both inside and outside of the crater, but
do not differ from those already described. A
custom obtained among the islanders, similar to
that practised by the tribes of Alaska and other
Indians of America, of burying something of
interest or value beneath the door-posts of their
dwellings. Usually it was a smooth beach pebble
which was supposed to have some fetish
qualities to bring good luck or ward off evil
influences.
One of the largest of these ruins
has an extensively paved terrace in front. At a
depth of about three feet below the surface of the
central door-way, we found a rough angular
flinty stone with a rudely carved face upon it.
A prominent ruin of the same description inside
of the crater, and another near the workshop on
the outside, yielded a hard stone upon which
marks bad been carved very similar to those on
the rocks at Orongo.
SKULLS SHOWING PECULIAR MARKS.
One of our guides produced from a hiding place
three ancient skulls, described elsewhere, upon
the top of which these same mystical figures had
been cut. They were not shown until a reward had
been promised, and the guide claimed to have
obtained them in their present condition from the
King's platform.
On the outside of the crater of
Rana Roraka, near the top and looking towards the
southwest, we found a workshop containing fifteen
small images. These had been overlooked in our
former trips to this place.
Scattered over the
plains extending towards Vaihu are a large
number of images, all lying face downward.
The indications are that they were being
removed to their respective platforms when the
work was suddenly arrested. These heavy weights
were evidently moved by main strength, but why
they were dragged over the ground face downward
instead of upon their backs, thus protecting their
features, is a mystery yet unsolved. One statue
in a group of three is that of a female; the face
and breast is covered with lichen, which at a
short distance gives it the appearance of
being whitewashed.
December 29.-We continued
the work of exploration from Vaihu around the
southwest points of the island. Excavations were
wherever the indications were good, but the
results did not differ from those already
described. Mount Orito was visited, from whence
the obsidian was obtained for spear-heads, and
also the quarries that produce the red pigment
from which the natives make a red paint by
rubbing it down with the juice of the sugar-cane.
The remainder of the stay on Easter Island was
devoted to the collection of traditions,
translations of tablets, and similar matters of
interest.
496