EASTER ISLAND

Rapa Nui’s Birdman Battle

Rapa Nui’s Birdman Battle

One of our favorite places we’ve had the privilege of visiting, was Easter Island, or Rapa Nui as its original inhabitants call it.

And one of the most unusual cultural events we’ve ever learned about is a traditional competition called the Birdman competition.

Birds were important animals on such a remote island where almost no large mammals or reptiles lived. Birds were believed to connect earth, sea and sky.