Rongorongo Facts for Kids

Rongorongo tablets were often made from wood.

This is a real rongorongo tablet.

Rongorongo is a mysterious writing system from Easter Island. No one today knows how to read it. There are about two dozen examples of rongorongo script. Most are carved on wooden tablets. The wood came from a tree called the portia tree, known as makoi in the Rapanui language of Easter Island.

The longest piece of rongorongo writing is the Santiago Staff. It is a wooden stick about 126 centimeters long and 6.5 centimeters wide. It has 2,300 symbols carved into it. These symbols are called glyphs. A glyph is a carved picture or sign. This staff once belonged to an Easter Island king. The Chilean Navy got it in 1870. Today, you can see it in Santiago's Museum of Natural History.

What is Rongorongo?
Why Can't We Read It?
Where Are Rongorongo Tablets Found?
How Were the Glyphs Carved?
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What is Rongorongo?

Rongorongo is a unique set of symbols. It was used by the people of Easter Island long ago. We do not know if it was a full writing system. It might have been a way to remember stories or songs. The symbols look like people, animals, plants, and shapes.

Why Can't We Read It?

The main reason we cannot read rongorongo is that its meaning was lost. When Europeans first arrived on Easter Island, many people who knew the script had died. This was often due to diseases or being taken away as slaves. No one was left to teach others how to read it.

Many attempts have been made to figure out rongorongo. Experts have tried to match the symbols to the Rapanui language. They have also looked for patterns in how the glyphs are arranged. So far, none of these attempts have fully worked. The mystery of rongorongo continues.

Where Are Rongorongo Tablets Found?

Most rongorongo writings are on wooden tablets. These tablets are found in museums around the world. They were collected by explorers and missionaries in the 1800s. Each tablet is special and holds a piece of this ancient puzzle.

Some tablets are small, while others are quite large. The wood often shows signs of being reused. This suggests that wood was a valuable resource on Easter Island. The carvings are usually very detailed and carefully made.

How Were the Glyphs Carved?

The rongorongo glyphs were carved into the wood. People likely used sharp tools for this. These tools could have been made from obsidian (volcanic glass) or shark teeth. The carvings are often very precise.

Sometimes, the carvers would make grooves in the wood first. This helped them keep the lines of glyphs straight. The way the glyphs are carved shows great skill. It tells us that the people who made them were very talented artists.