get me bodied: rapa nui edition

the easter island statues are more mounmental than you thought. literally. apparently the world's most iconic non-talking heads were originally built with bodies, which have since sunk into the ground (tsunami? earthquake? erosion? other?). the easter island statue project (EISP) aims to unearth these buried parts and reunite them with their faces.

bonus fact: EISP staffs its conservation teams almost entirely with Rapa Nui locals. now that's what i call socially sustainable.