Rapa Nui's Birdman Competition

Depiction of a Birdman competitot

For centuries, the tribes of Rapa Nui (Easter Island) lived together peacefully. Moai stood watch over each community as a way of honoring a tribe’s ancestors and obtaining mana (or power). Eventually, overpopulation and limited resources led to tribal warfare. Mana began to be achieved instead by warriors living in the here and now fighting to obtain more resources and defending their tribes. This societal transition led to the Birdman competition.

The annual event sounds like a triathalon with a dash of The Hunger Games thrown in for good measure. Each of the 12 tribes would put forward its hopu (competitor), typically a young man who had been training his entire life for this moment. I say “typically” because these men were not exempted from participating in the ongoing battles among the tribes. If a hopu was killed before his time to compete arrived, a lesser-trained member of the tribe would have to assume the job. Talk about an important understudy role!

The competition was held shortly after the tribal elders agreed that a manutara nesting on the neighboring islet of Mata Nui had laid the first egg of the season. What was so special about this particular breed of bird? Manutara were believed to be the reincarnation of the god of fertility, so capturing the first egg of the season promised future fertility, power and prosperity for the winning tribe.  

Mata Nui is largest of these islets

Finally, the moment these young men had been preparing for would arrive. The competitors would strap boogie boards made from reeds on their backs and run 1.5KM to the edge of the island facing Mata Nui. They would then scale down the 1300’ cliff for a 2.5KM shark-infested swim in the waters of the Pacific Ocean. Next the cliffs of Mata Nui had to be climbed. Once a competitor reached the islet, the search was on for the nest spotted by tribal leaders and the precious first egg of the season. The winning warrior would stand atop Mata Nui holding the egg above his head for the tribal elders to see. (In case you're wondering, as I was, he would have been identifiable by his body paint.) With that, the Birdman competition was over until the following year.

Still, the competitors had to get back to Rapa Nui. The victor would don headgear with a small basket in which the egg would be placed. He would then climb back down the cliff of Mota Nui and paddle back home on his raft, with the other hopu trailing behind. Upon reaching Rapa Nui, he would climb back up the cliff and present the egg to his tribal leader. If the egg broke along the way, it apparently wasn’t a big deal. Finding the egg was the goal, not its hatching. 

Birdman petroglyph that has been outlined

The leader of the winning tribe -- not the competitor -- was crowned Birdman and ruled the island for the following year. The village wiseman would choose a virgin from the community to become the wife of the new Birdman. What better way to ensure the promise of fertility would come to fruition? 

So what did the actual competitor get for his years of hard training? A year of living alone at the quarry where he was off-limits from tribal skirmishes. Oh, and there was a parade of sorts during which his clan carried him to his temporary home. I suspect he might have liked having the virgin for company, but that's not the way it worked.  

The tradition of the Birdman competition is estimated to have lasted approximately 100 years. In 1867, Catholics came to the island, and most of the Rapa Nui people were converted. The new leaders banned the Birdman competition on the grounds that it was too dangerous. There apparently wasn't much resistance to the elimination of the tradition as enthusiasm had waned over the years. Go figure.

 

Note: This blog is based on the information provided by our local tour leader. Other accounts of the tradition vary in some respects. They are all very dramatic. To dig down a bit more, click here. And for the Hollywood version of the tradition, you can watch the 1994 movie "Rapa Nui" on Apple TV.. For the trailer, click here.