Who Built the Moais Statues of Ahu Tongariki?

The 1973 UNESCO analytical report—Fossilised microorganisms and bacteria contained in the statues—Volcanic tuff sand found at the base of the Ahus. When the Polynesians arrived on the island around AD 1200, they encountered a population that had been creating geopolymer statues representing the life-giving world. The Polynesians initially constructed their platforms, known as Ahus, following their ancestral traditions or by adapting the technique used in the Vinapu wall. Realizing the relative ease of implementing this method, they further developed it to manufacture their own unique style of statues, the Moais, modifying the shape and design. Some of these Moais grew to colossal proportions, showcasing the skills they had acquired to produce and erect them on the Ahus. These new statues were distinct and unlike anything their Polynesian ancestors had carved before.