Ana O Keke and Ana More Mata Puku – The neru caves of Easter Island
Date
2016-10-01
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The ethnology of Easter Island includes a kind of vestal ritual consisting of the “whitening” of selected young
people called neru, both female and male. The two places that played a major role in this ritual were collectively
called Ana Hue Neru: the cave Ana O Keke for the seclusion of young girls and the cave Ana More Mata Puku
for the seclusion of young boys. Both caves are located on a precipice of Poike, at the northeast part of the island.
According to oral tradition, the neru were kept in seclusion, in the shadow of a cave, for the time required to reach
a fair complexion. The only people allowed to visit them were their fathers who brought them food. The importance
of the neru ritual is reflected by numerous petroglyphs decorating these caves. This paper presents the detailed
description and photographic record of both neru caves made by the author during a series of visits
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