Hoa Hakananai'a

This concise book tells the story of Hoa Hakananai'a, a large stone statue from Easter Island, which became part of the collections of the British Museum in 1869. It examines Hoa Hakananai'a's significance within the ceremonial village of Orongo on Easter Island and tells the history of how and when the statue was brought to England aborad HMS Topaze . The production of sacred moai stone icons on the island, their aesthetic and social context, is followed by a description of Hoa Hakananai'a and especially the carvings on her back, linked to birdman symbolism.