In Easter Island mythology, who is the creator god?

In Easter Island mythology, Make-make is the creator god. More commonly written Makemake, he is the Rapa Nui creator of humanity, a fertility deity, and the chief god associated with the tangata manu, or Birdman, tradition.

Makemake’s worship became especially important after the earlier moai-centered religious era. The Birdman ceremony revolved around Motu Nui, an islet near the ceremonial village of Orongo. Competitors’ representatives swam to the islet to retrieve the first egg of the manutara, or sooty tern. The successful representative’s sponsor gained religious and political prestige.

Makemake was not simply an abstract creator figure. Rapa Nui petroglyphs frequently depict a face with large eyes and a distinctive nose, forms commonly linked with the deity. He was also associated with Haua, another important figure in the Birdman cult, and traditions describe Makemake as having no wife.

A common mix-up is confusing the deity with Makemake, the dwarf planet discovered in 2005. The astronomical name was chosen because the discovery occurred shortly after Easter, while European contact with Easter Island took place on Easter Sunday in 1722.