Who carved Easter island statues?

The Easter Island statues, known as moai, were carved by the Rapa Nui people, the indigenous inhabitants of Easter Island (Rapa Nui) in Polynesia. The construction of these statues took place between approximately 1400 and 1650 CE. The moai were primarily carved from volcanic tuff and were intended to represent ancestors, serving as a form of ancestral worship and a symbol of authority. Their creation involved considerable effort, reflecting the social and cultural significance of the statues to the Rapa Nui society.