Tag: Terry Hunt

The Correlation of Prehistoric Wells, Groundwater Resources, and Statues on Easter Island Imply Greater Understanding of Natural Landscape by Prehistoric Rapanui People

Presenter: Sadie Trush

Mentors: Terry Hunt, Honors College Anthropology; Nick Dreher, Environmental Studies

Poster: C6

Major: Environmental Science

Commonly overlooked in the numerous narratives of Easter Island’s mystery, is the most critical resource to human beings: freshwater. Recent field research on the Island has focused on puna (archaeological well features) that may have allowed the prehistoric Rapanui people to obtain this essential element. An RC quadcopter, high resolution camera, and trimble unit were used on this research project to create 3-dimensional reconstructions of the puna, while the coastline was manually surveyed to find traces of freshwater at the marine interface. These two data sets were geographically compared with previously mapped locations of moai and ahu (great stone statues and platforms), since puna are always found within 50 meters of an ahu presentation. Additionally, in these areas notable amounts of fresh, potable, groundwater seeps into the sea. This correlation of puna, potable water, and
ahu with moai suggests a connection between resource use and moai placement, and challenges previous beliefs that moai were merely 70-ton manifestations of ancestor worship. In fact, the correlation may reflect the Rapanui’s connection to the natural landscape and understanding of limited resources. Given current freshwater shortages, these findings not only lend themselves to further knowledge of water resources on Easter Island in the context of Rapanui prehistory, but may also assist modern Rapanui people to utilize local water resources instead of shipping it thousands of kilometers from Chile.

The Colossal Hats (pukao) of Monumental Statues: An Analysis of Shape Variability among the pukao of Rapa Nui

Presenter: Sean Hixon

Mentors: Terry Hunt, Honors College Anthropology; Carl Lipo, CA State Anthropology

Poster: 30

Major: Geology and Anthropology

As part of monumental statue (moai) construction during the prehistory of Rapa Nui, islanders quarried bodies of red scoria, carved them into hats (pukao), and placed them atop statues measuring up to 10 meters tall. Despite overall great interest in moai and the improbable magnitude of pukao that were raised to reach their positions on the heads of statues, few studies have investigated pukao production and transport. This study seeks to analyze three-dimensional variability of pukao using 15,000 photos of 50 pukao found near statues and 13 red scoria cylinders located in quarries. Three-dimensional computer models based on these photos are used to evaluate which surface features are stylistic with associated temporal and spatial variability and which are functional and relate to construction and transport of these multi-ton objects. The functional detail has the potential to shed light on how prehistoric islanders designed pukao to be placed atop moai. To this end, additional three-dimensional models of statue platforms (ahu) and moai are combined with the models of pukao to test the feasibility of the conventional hypothesis that the pukao were placed atop moai using stone ramps.

Room for Thought: A Transformation of the Values of Emerson and Einstein

Presenter: Zachary Sherrod

Faculty Mentor: Barbara Mossberg, Terry Hunt

Presentation Type: Oral

Primary Research Area: Design

Major: Architecture

Ralph Waldo Emerson, a poetic individualist, and Albert Einstein, a spiritual physicist, both sought meaning and discovery within their minds. Consider a room that transforms the values of Emerson and Einstein into a space designed to evoke genius. Contemporary architectural rooms like the study, library, and office perform rudimentary functions but often inadequately house the intellect and spirit. My concept of a “room for thought” would function as a home for the mind—a space that symbolizes the imaginative process like a kitchen symbolizes the preparation of food. I explored this possibility with diagrams and modeled a stand-alone gazebo encased in a dodecahedron. This twelve-sided Platonic solid has symbolized the universe for millennia and bespeaks self-reliance with its centralized form. Moreover, its multifaceted surface empowers the spirit of imagination, for each side frames a view into an aspect of reality. While this form effectively captures the spirit of Emerson and Einstein, the “room for thought” is most meaningful as a cultural symbol, which could take any number of forms. Whether a separate structure, a bridge between spaces, or a jewel breaking through a conventional façade, this concept defines a sacred space in accordance with the philosophies of Emerson and Einstein.