Hotu-iti

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Outer slopes of Rano Raraku with twenty moai, some buried to the neck

Hotu-iti (also, "Tongariki territory") is an area of southeastern Easter Island which derives its name from a local clan of the same name. Located in Rapa Nui National Park, it contains Rano Raraku crater, the Ahu Tongariki site, and a small bay. In the 15th and 16th centuries, Hotu-iti was one of two polities in Easter Island.

Geography

Hotu Iti contains Rano Raraku crater, which is the island's only source of a type of stone that was considered to be the best for carving statues; it was also a source of moss which was used for canoe caulking.[1] Hotuiti Bay, a small cove, is protected by the cliffs of the Poike Peninsula.[2][3] According to local legend, the god Tangaroa was killed in the bay and was buried in the vicinity.[4] The Rano Raraku cliffs and quarry stand above Hotu-iti. The landscape has been described as a "wondrous spiritual landscape of striking beauty".[5][6]

History

Six of the fifteen Ahu Tongariki moai

In the 15th and 16th centuries, the island was divided into two polities, described as either west (Tu'u)[7] and east (Hotu-iti) confederacies, with Hotu-iti being the lower ranked;[5] or northern (Tu'uaro) and southern (Hotuiti).[8] In 1960, a tsunami, approximately 6 metres (20 ft) above sea level, crossed 500 metres (1,600 ft) of Hotu-iti, sweeping away ahu and moai (statues), and scattering them by 50–150 metres (160–490 ft).[9] Fifteen statues of Hotu-iti's Ahu Tongariki site were damaged;[10] a team of Japanese archaeologists restored the site between 1992 and 1994.[10]

Leadership

In Polynesian mythology, Hotu-iti was the youngest and favourite son of Hotu Matu'a, the legendary first settler of Easter Island.[10][11] One of the known chiefs of the Hotu-iti clan was Kain, said to be a descendant of the sixth son of the first king who "proved himself a valiant warrior." He had a son who succeeded him named Huriavai.[12] The Tupahotu, Koro-Orongo and Ure-o-Hei tribes were considered part of the Hotu-iti clan.[13]

References

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