rei miro

ornament

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Article History

rei miro, wooden gorget, or pectoral (breast ornament), once worn by high-ranking inhabitants of Rapa Nui (Easter Island). The rei miro (according to Rongorongo: The Easter Island Script, rei is a cognate of the Hawaiian word lei, and miro means ‘wood’) is of simple, elegant design, usually crescent-shaped, with stylized human heads carved at either end.

Hardwood was so scarce on the small island that it was a precious rarity. Bits of driftwood were carefully carved and polished, their size and shape determining variations of the basic design. The decorative rei miro, which was pierced by two small holes at centre top, was worn suspended by a cord from the owner’s neck.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Kathleen Kuiper.