text: The easter islanders did it - as a religious gesture. \nThe maoi was carved out of the soft rock of the caldera (volcano leftover) and moved down - using wood. This obsession with head building led to deforestation and loss of fertile land. \n\nListen, the site below tells you everything you want to know. I Found it when researching this for kids in my class (school teacher) \nThe virtual site is fantastic, while the story & controversies pages are very informative.