The Secret of the Sledge
by Liesl Clark
May 2, 1998
What took seconds to accomplish yesterday with the help of 50 people took
all day today with 20. Under the direction of
Claudio Cristino, a team of
20 Rapa Nui men and the Van Tilburg team worked together using levers and
ropes to re-rig the moai transit rig and to move the moai three meters (ten
feet) to its final raising position. First the transit rig under the moai
had to be repositioned. Without using a crane for this difficult move, the
team lifted the moai up onto logs and then slid the rig backward underneath
the moai to position the entire sledge so it was flush with the base of the
moai. Now the entire rig, including the moai, is in a good position to be
raised as one unit to an upright position.
Jo Anne Van Tilburg
is convinced the sledge has been the secret behind
her success in transporting the moai. It will also be useful in aiding her
team as they raise it. "When this was done by Thor Heyerdahl," notes Van
Tilburg. "He didn't use a frame (a wooden sledge). When he lifted the
statue, he damaged it by trying to lever against the statue. Our rig
enables you to lever against the wood and not the statue. The beauty of it
is that we're not touching the statue." (See
Past Attempts.
Tomorrow, the red scoria pukao will be lashed to the top of the moai's head
at the top of the wooden sledge and then levers and stones will be used to
aid the entire group in lifting the moai upright. No one has ever raised an
Easter Island moai upright with a pukao on top. Will the team be able to do
it?