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Attenborough in Paradise and Other Personal Voyages Season 1 Episode 3

A carved wooden idol that David purchased in a New York auction room is traced back to its origin: Easter Island. It was cheap because the seller probably believed it was a forgery. But during the course of this programme its whole history is discovered: carved on Easter Island while there was still wood of the toromiro tree (now extinct on the island), to represent the god Makemake, traded with the crew of captain Cook’s ship, transported to Tahiti, probably traded by the Tahitians with the crew of an American whaling ship and ended up in the US.

Episode Title: Lost Gods Of Easter Island

Air Date: 1996-04-22