Editing Motu Nui (section)

{{Short description|Islet near Easter Island, national monument of Chile}}
{{For|the New Zealand settlement of a similar name|Motunui}}
{{For|the fictional island of a similar name|Moana (2016 film)}}

[[File:Easter Island 11.jpg|thumb|right|Motu Nui, with the smaller Motu Iti and the sea stack Motu Kao Kao. Photo taken in September 2018 from Orongo, on the Rano Kau volcano, approximately 250 meters (820 feet) above sea level]]

'''Motu Nui''' is the largest of the [[Islet|islets]] located off the southwestern coast of [[Easter Island]] (Rapa Nui) and constitutes the westernmost point of [[Chile]]. Covering an area of 3.9 [[hectare]]s, it is the summit of a submerged volcanic mountain that rises over 2,000 meters from the seafloor. Motu Nui is one of the five satellite islets of Easter Island and is notable for being among the three closest landmasses to [[Point Nemo]], the oceanic pole of inaccessibility. The other two are [[Ducie Island]] ([[Pitcairn Islands]]) and [[Maher Island]] ([[Antarctica]]).<ref>{{cite web |title=Where is Point Nemo? |url=https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/nemo.html}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Point Nemo, revisited |url=https://www.lukatela.com/pointnemo-revisited/}}</ref>

[[File:Easter Island map-en.svg|thumb|left|Map showing Motu Nui, the largest of three small islets located off the southwestern tip of Rapa Nui (bottom left corner of the map)]]

Historically, Motu Nui played a central role in the ''[[Tangata manu]]'' ("bird-man") cult, a religious tradition that developed after the [[moai]]-building period and before the widespread adoption of [[Christianity]] in the 1860s. Each year, representatives (''Hopu'') from different clans would swim to Motu Nui to await the arrival of the [[manutara|''manutara'']] ([[sooty tern]]). The first Hopu to retrieve an egg would return to Easter Island and present it to his patron at [[Orongo]], a ceremonial village on the rim of the [[Rano Kau]] crater. The sponsor would then be declared the ''Tangata manu'' and hold ritual authority for one year. The ritual was hazardous, with frequent fatalities from shark attacks or falls. The victorious clan gained exclusive rights to collect seabird eggs and chicks from the islets. The last known competition took place in 1888.

[[File:Oc,G.T.1765,_Mana_Expedition_to_Easter_Island,_British_Museum.jpg|thumb|right|Katherine Routledge's drawings of cave images on Motu Nui]]

The [[Katherine Routledge|Routledge expedition]] of 1914 conducted a scientific survey of Motu Nui and recorded six species of nesting seabirds in addition to the sooty tern. They also documented two caves formerly used during the ''Tangata manu'' ritual, one for sheltering the Hopu and another that housed ''Moai Maea'', a small moai known as "The Boundary of the Land", which had already been removed to the [[Pitt Rivers Museum]] in [[Oxford, England]].

Nearby islets include Motu Kao Kao, a [[Stack (geology)|sea stack]] rising approximately 20 meters [[Height above mean sea level|above sea level]], and [[Motu Iti (Rapa Nui)|Motu Iti]]. All three are home to [[seabird]] populations. The name ''Motu Nui'' means "large island" in the [[Rapa Nui language]], where ''motu'' means "islet".

Today, the islets are visited via small boat tours departing from [[Hanga Roa]], the island's main town. The waters surrounding Motu Nui are a popular destination for [[scuba diving]], known for their clear visibility and marine biodiversity. Shark populations, once more abundant, have declined significantly due to [[overfishing]].