The race for power
Each spring, the leaders of Rapa Nui's clans would gather at the ceremonial village of Orongo, a spectacular settlement on the southwestern rim of the Rano Kau volcano. Perched on a narrow ridge, the site sits between a 300-meter drop into the volcano's crater lake and a 300-meter sea cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean. This dramatic location was the site of the Tangata manu, or Birdman competition, a ritual that determined the island's leader for the year. The cult likely emerged around the 17th or 18th century, replacing the ancestral moai-building culture as resources grew scarce and social structures changed.
The competition was a dangerous test of skill and endurance. Each clan chief selected a representative, a warrior known as a hopu manu. On command, these men would descend the treacherous sea cliff and swim roughly 1.4 kilometers through shark-infested waters to the islet of Motu Nui. Their objective was to find the first-laid egg of the manutara, or Sooty Tern (Onychoprion fuscatus), a seabird that nested on the islet. The competitors would wait on Motu Nui for days or even weeks for the birds to lay their eggs. The first hopu manu to secure an egg would shout the name of his chief to a scout positioned on the cliffside, then begin the perilous journey back, carefully securing the fragile prize.
The reign of the Birdman
Upon his return to Orongo, the successful warrior would present the intact egg to his sponsor. This chief was then declared the Tangata manu, the new Birdman, and became the spiritual and political leader of the island for the next year. His clan gained sole rights to collect the season's harvest of seabird eggs and fledglings from Motu Nui, a valuable resource.
The Birdman's status was sacred, or tapu. He would shave his head, and for at least part of his year-long reign, he lived in ceremonial seclusion in a special house, forbidden from even cutting his fingernails. The old leader's power was dissolved, and the new Birdman's rule began. The site of Orongo is evidence of this period, containing 53 low, oval-shaped stone houses built to shelter the ceremony's participants. The surrounding rocks feature more than 1,700 petroglyphs, with common motifs being the Birdman himself (a human body with a bird's head), the creator god Make-Make, and symbols of fertility. The last Birdman competition was held around 1867, as the arrival of Christian missionaries brought an end to the practice.