Orongo facts for kids

Map of the location of ꞌOrongo on Easter Island

Orongo (in Rapanui: Oroŋo) is an ancient stone village and special meeting place on Rapa Nui, also known as Easter Island. It sits on the edge of a huge volcano called Rano Kau. The village has many low, round stone houses with grass roofs and small doors. On one side, there's a steep 300-meter cliff dropping to the ocean. On the other, a grassy slope leads down to a freshwater marsh inside the volcano's crater.

Workers investigated and restored the first half of Orongo's 53 stone houses in 1974. The rest were finished in 1976. More studies happened in 1985 and 1995. Today, Orongo is a World Heritage Site and part of the Rapa Nui National Park.

History of Orongo

The 300-meter sheer cliff face of Rano Kau. Egg-hunters would climb down here during the annual race. Orongo is on the very top of the crater's rim on the left.

Between the 1700s and mid-1800s, Orongo was the main spot for a special tradition called the birdman cult. The most important part of this tradition was an annual race. People raced to bring the first manutara (sooty tern) egg back safely from the nearby islet of Motu Nui to Orongo.

The Dangerous Birdman Race

The race was very dangerous. Hunters often fell to their deaths from the high cliff. Some were even attacked by sharks in the ocean. The site has many rock carvings, called petroglyphs. Most of these show tangata manu (birdmen). These carvings might have been made to remember the winners of this tough race.

Orongo After the Race Era

In the 1860s, many Rapa Nui islanders died from diseases or were taken as slaves. When the people who survived became Christians, the birdman tradition stopped. Orongo was no longer used. In 1868, sailors from HMS Topaze took a huge stone statue, called a moai, from Orongo. This moai, known as Hoa Hakananai'a, is now in the British Museum.

Protecting Orongo

The World Monuments Fund added Orongo to its 1996 World Monuments Watch list in 1996. They listed it again in 2000. The main problem was soil erosion, caused by rain and too many visitors walking around. After 2000, the organization helped create a plan to protect the site. They also announced more money in 2009 to build a new visitor center.

See also

In Spanish: Orongo para niños

• Rapa Nui mythology