Statue to be returned to Easter Island from Chile

Chile's National Museum of Natural History is returning a Moai, giant head, to Easter Island more than 150 years after it was removed. Members of the Rapa Nui community celebrated the decision on Monday with a ceremonial dance. The statue is being returned as part of a repatriation program that seeks the return of sacred items to the island.

Also named Rapa Nui, Easter Island is a Chilean territory located midway between Polynesia, in the South Pacific, and South America. Home to about 8,000 people, Easter Island is a tiny speck in the vast Pacific Ocean renowned for its imposing Moai, giant heads carved from volcanic rock by inhabitants hundreds of years ago. The sculpture weighs 715 kilograms. It will require special packaging for safe transportation to the island. The statue will be shipped on February 28.