Birdman ritual

E292560

The Birdman ritual was a traditional annual competition and religious ceremony of Rapa Nui (Easter Island) in which champions sought the first sooty tern egg to gain sacred status and political power for their clan.

All labels observed (1)

Label Occurrences
Birdman ritual canonical 1

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (46)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Easter Island tradition ⓘ
Rapa Nui cultural practice ⓘ
annual competition ⓘ
religious ceremony ⓘ
alsoKnownAs tangata manu ritual ⓘ
archaeologicalSite Orongo stone houses ⓘ
associatedDeity Haua ⓘ
associatedIslet Motu Iti ⓘ
Motu Kao Kao ⓘ
centralIsland Motu Nui ⓘ
linked to: Motu Nui islet
continuedUntil 19th century ⓘ
country Chile ⓘ
culture Rapa Nui people ⓘ
declineCause Chilean colonial administration ⓘ
Christianization of Rapa Nui ⓘ
heritageStatus part of Rapa Nui National Park ⓘ
iconography birdman petroglyphs at Orongo ⓘ
location Easter Island ⓘ
Rapa Nui ⓘ
linked to: Easter Island
mainDeity Makemake ⓘ
mainObjective to obtain the first sooty tern egg of the season ⓘ
participantRole clan chief ⓘ
hopu (swimmer and egg seeker) ⓘ
periodOfPractice late pre-contact period ⓘ
politicalAspect temporary supremacy of the winning clan ⓘ
politicalFunction transfer of political authority between clans ⓘ
RapaNuiNameOfBird manu tara ⓘ
religiousAspect veneration of Makemake as creator god ⓘ
religiousFunction selection of the tangata manu (Birdman) ⓘ
reward political power for the winner's clan ⓘ
sacred status for the winning champion ⓘ
risk drowning ⓘ
falling from cliffs ⓘ
shark attack ⓘ
ritualAction climbing down cliffs from Orongo to the sea ⓘ
returning the egg intact to Orongo ⓘ
searching for the first laid sooty tern egg ⓘ
swimming to Motu Nui ⓘ
sacredAnimal sooty tern ⓘ
socialFunction competition among Rapa Nui clans ⓘ
startingPoint Orongo ceremonial village ⓘ
symbolism renewal of power and fertility ⓘ
timeOfYear around July to September ⓘ
austral spring ⓘ
UNESCOStatus associated with a UNESCO World Heritage Site (Rapa Nui National Park) ⓘ
winnerTitle tangata manu ⓘ
linked to: Tangata manu

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (1)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.