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Moais with full bodies visible at Ahu Tongariki.
Moai statues were built to honour chieftains or other important people who had passed away. They were placed on rectangular stone platforms called ahu, which are tombs for the people that the statues represented. Each moai was intentionally made with different characteristics since it was intended to keep the appearance of the person it represented.
There was one group of carvers from which the statues were bought. The buying tribe would pay with whatever they had large quantities of. Examples of trade items would be sweet potatoes, chickens, bananas, mats and obsidian tools. Since a larger statue would mean a higher cost, bigger statues would also mean more greatness for the tribe, since it would be a proof that the tribesmen were clever and hard-working enough to pay.
Eyeholes would not be carved until the statue reached its destination. A pukao of red scoria stone from the quarry Puna Pau would in later years sometimes be placed on the head of the statue to represent the long hair the deceased had, which was a sign of m ana ; a kind of mental power. Eyes of coral would mark the final touch, and the moai would be an ' ariŋa ora or living face. The spirit of he or she who had passed away would forever watch over the tribe and bring fortune in life. This is why the statues are called mōai - so that he can exist
Gr. 5 Oral Comprehension Readings 3