ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the symbolic, political and ideological value of colour, and more specifically, red, in pre-contact Rapa Nui. It explores the use (and avoidance) of red stone in semantic architecture—the world-famous ahu, moai and pukao—as a possible reflection of the socio-political order of Rapa Nui. The chapter tries to illustrate some aspects of colour symbolism during the island's prehistory and history. That reasons other than practicality were considered in the choice of Puna Pau as the source of some of the most symbolically loaded building materials on the island seems clear. Rapanui monumental architecture, prominently features the contrasting sensory characteristics of two types of stone which come from different but similarly 'special' localities, both of which are volcanic craters, suggesting a direct link with the eastern Polynesian religious/ideological milieu. Many Polynesian rites involving tapu are associated with symbolic wrapping and binding, a practice that could also be extended to the 'wrapping [of] places in architecture'.
