The magic of the Moai

November 7, 2012 Erik Ernst Leave a Comment

Watch NOVA: Mystery of Easter Island at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 7 on Wisconsin Public Television.

I have been fascinated with the Moai sculptures of Easter Island for a long time. Sure, I had seen pictures of them in social studies books and models in museums. But, they really sparked my attention in an early morning of 2005. Matt Lauer, host of NBC’s Today Show, visited the island as part of his regular “Where in the World is Matt Lauer” segments. Seeing how the sculptures were built and seeing the scale of a real person in front of the massive stones hooked me instantly. I dug up the segment to watch online below:

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That’s why I am so excited about this new NOVA. Researchers take us inside the creation of the Moai — and most importantly — try to decipher, and re-enact, just how the early islanders transported these sculptures from the quarry to the sea by actually making them walk! Below is a small taste of the program. Tune in tonight to watch the whole process in action.

Watch Mystery of Easter Island Preview on PBS. See more from NOVA.

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