The moai are monolithic statues carved by the inhabitants of Easter Island between the 12th and 17th centuries CE, with almost 900 having been identified over the years. They represent the deified ancestors of the islanders, believed to be guarding the land and their descendants.

Contrary to popular belief, the moai are not simply the heads of statues with their bodies buried in the ground. The heads of the moai are larger than their bodies, around 3/8 of the total size. This stems from the Polynesian belief in the importance of the head. Although the heads look similar, the arms are carved in various positions in the body.

The moai are mostly made from tuff, a compressed volcanic ash, but there are also moai that were made of basalt, trachyte, and red scoria, a very light rock found at Puna Pau.