In the spring of 1998, I was asked to take part in the filming of the NOVA film "Easter Island," during which experts examined hand methods for moving and erecting moai, the huge stone statues for ...

Easter Island was a tough place to make a living. It required heroic efforts. In farming, as in moai moving, the islanders shifted monumental amounts of rock—but into their fields, not out.

Moving these heavy statues was a big challenge ... keeping the Rapa Nui legacy alive. The moai statues show the skill of the Rapa Nui people. They were carved from lapilli tuff, a soft volcanic ...