1 00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:03,208 NARRATOR: Thousands of remote islands 2 00:00:03,333 --> 00:00:06,375 with an incredible and mysterious past. 3 00:00:06,542 --> 00:00:11,000 GIORGIO TSOUKALOS: That entire region of islands is a treasure chest 4 00:00:11,125 --> 00:00:14,000 for ancient mysteries and mythologies. 5 00:00:14,167 --> 00:00:19,333 NARRATOR: The Pacific Islands boast dozens of towering stone structures. 6 00:00:19,542 --> 00:00:24,125 HUGH NEWMAN: It is fascinating that there's so little landmass, 7 00:00:24,292 --> 00:00:29,083 and yet cultures were building gigantic megalithic sites. 8 00:00:30,125 --> 00:00:34,167 NARRATOR: And countless local legends tell of otherworldly visitors. 9 00:00:34,292 --> 00:00:37,167 The Pacific Islands are littered with rock art 10 00:00:37,292 --> 00:00:40,458 of giant beings with enormous hands and feet that have 11 00:00:40,625 --> 00:00:42,333 six fingers and six toes. 12 00:00:42,458 --> 00:00:45,500 NARRATOR: Could it be that the islands of the Pacific 13 00:00:45,667 --> 00:00:49,708 hold the remnants of a lost alien civilization? 14 00:00:49,875 --> 00:00:53,042 DAVID CHILDRESS: We have to wonder if there were extraterrestrials 15 00:00:53,208 --> 00:00:55,375 on some of these islands. 16 00:00:55,542 --> 00:00:57,500 ♪ ♪ 17 00:01:12,875 --> 00:01:15,500 NARRATOR: In the western Pacific Ocean, spread out 18 00:01:15,667 --> 00:01:19,083 over three and a half million square miles, 19 00:01:19,250 --> 00:01:23,167 is a vast region of more than 10,000 islands. 20 00:01:23,375 --> 00:01:26,042 Often referred to as Oceania, 21 00:01:26,208 --> 00:01:30,167 these remote islands are separated by great distances 22 00:01:30,292 --> 00:01:33,375 and inhabited by a diverse group of people 23 00:01:33,542 --> 00:01:37,958 descended from various parts of East Asia and South America. 24 00:01:38,083 --> 00:01:40,333 While unique in many ways, 25 00:01:40,542 --> 00:01:43,500 the islanders share many of the same traditions 26 00:01:43,667 --> 00:01:47,750 and cultural practices that go back thousands of years. 27 00:01:49,500 --> 00:01:55,125 ANDREW COLLINS: Oceania includes the areas of Austronesia, 28 00:01:55,333 --> 00:01:59,458 Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia, 29 00:02:00,458 --> 00:02:03,125 This is made up of not just hundreds 30 00:02:03,250 --> 00:02:08,000 but thousands of islands, all of which are interlinked 31 00:02:08,208 --> 00:02:10,167 by peoples who could navigate 32 00:02:10,333 --> 00:02:13,208 from one corner of it to the other and back again. 33 00:02:14,375 --> 00:02:18,167 And this tells us that there was a maritime culture 34 00:02:18,333 --> 00:02:22,208 that existed possibly as much as 5,000 years ago. 35 00:02:23,208 --> 00:02:26,125 Traditionally, in archaeological terms, 36 00:02:26,292 --> 00:02:29,458 it's said that people came, possibly, from the Americas. 37 00:02:29,583 --> 00:02:34,042 Other people say they came over from various parts of Asia. 38 00:02:34,208 --> 00:02:38,417 But what's interesting is that these islands share 39 00:02:38,542 --> 00:02:41,708 connections going back tens of thousands of years, 40 00:02:41,875 --> 00:02:46,500 which suggests, somehow, they had contact with each other. 41 00:02:49,042 --> 00:02:52,333 DAVID PALAITA: In Oceania, we have what we might call this ocean lens. 42 00:02:52,542 --> 00:02:55,167 This ocean lens we call va sa. 43 00:02:55,333 --> 00:02:58,208 "Va" meaning "the space that relates." 44 00:02:58,333 --> 00:03:03,167 We're talking about interconnections between people. 45 00:03:03,333 --> 00:03:05,083 Between people and land. 46 00:03:05,250 --> 00:03:07,833 Between people and the cosmos. 47 00:03:08,000 --> 00:03:10,625 Between people and inanimate objects, 48 00:03:10,792 --> 00:03:12,458 like stones or monoliths. 49 00:03:12,625 --> 00:03:15,167 Those, too, are living entities 50 00:03:15,375 --> 00:03:18,042 that are part of our cultural world. 51 00:03:18,250 --> 00:03:21,292 The concept is an ancient one. 52 00:03:21,458 --> 00:03:23,042 Something that our communities 53 00:03:23,250 --> 00:03:26,500 across this region have lived by for so many centuries. 54 00:03:28,083 --> 00:03:29,625 NARRATOR: For the people of Oceania, 55 00:03:29,792 --> 00:03:33,292 integral to their history and cultural identity 56 00:03:33,417 --> 00:03:37,000 are the massive stone monoliths and megalithic structures 57 00:03:37,208 --> 00:03:39,917 that can be found on many of the islands. 58 00:03:41,167 --> 00:03:43,375 While mainstream archaeologists believe 59 00:03:43,583 --> 00:03:45,250 most of these structures were built 60 00:03:45,375 --> 00:03:48,208 within the past 2,000 years, 61 00:03:48,417 --> 00:03:50,208 the indigenous people suggest 62 00:03:50,417 --> 00:03:53,500 the megaliths are from a much earlier time, 63 00:03:53,708 --> 00:03:56,875 when legends say their ancestors shared 64 00:03:57,042 --> 00:04:00,250 these islands with non-human entities. 65 00:04:02,375 --> 00:04:06,000 An example can be found on the Hawaiian island of Maui. 66 00:04:06,208 --> 00:04:09,833 Located in the northeast corner of Oceania, 67 00:04:10,042 --> 00:04:12,000 this popular tourist destination 68 00:04:12,208 --> 00:04:15,167 features one of the largest ancient megalithic structures 69 00:04:15,333 --> 00:04:17,792 in the Pacific Islands. 70 00:04:17,958 --> 00:04:20,333 Called Pi'ilanihale Heiau, 71 00:04:20,500 --> 00:04:23,125 this massive temple on Maui's east coast 72 00:04:23,292 --> 00:04:28,875 covers an area of more than 130,000 square feet. 73 00:04:29,042 --> 00:04:32,583 Pi'ilanihale Heiau is 341 feet wide. 74 00:04:32,750 --> 00:04:36,250 It's up to 50 feet high. It has different levels. 75 00:04:37,458 --> 00:04:40,792 And it's almost like a pyramid platform type structure. 76 00:04:40,958 --> 00:04:44,167 NARRATOR: While many scholars date the construction of this temple 77 00:04:44,333 --> 00:04:46,375 to the 13th century AD, 78 00:04:46,542 --> 00:04:50,875 Hawaiian oral traditions suggest Pi'ilanihale Heiau 79 00:04:51,042 --> 00:04:52,792 is many centuries older. 80 00:04:52,958 --> 00:04:56,167 But why would the ancient people of Hawaii 81 00:04:56,333 --> 00:04:58,583 build such a massive stone structure? 82 00:04:58,792 --> 00:05:01,500 One capable of withstanding the earthquakes 83 00:05:01,667 --> 00:05:04,958 that occur frequently on these volcanic islands? 84 00:05:05,125 --> 00:05:08,333 WILLIAM HENRY: One thing that's interesting about this temple in Maui 85 00:05:08,542 --> 00:05:11,250 is that it was where the indigenous people went 86 00:05:11,458 --> 00:05:13,542 to meet and greet the gods. 87 00:05:13,708 --> 00:05:15,958 What's further intriguing about this is that, 88 00:05:16,125 --> 00:05:20,500 scattered all across Oceania, are sites just like this. 89 00:05:21,833 --> 00:05:25,750 TSOUKALOS: These structures are connected to so-called sky gods, 90 00:05:25,917 --> 00:05:29,292 celestial deities, interacting with the local people. 91 00:05:29,458 --> 00:05:32,042 Gods that have risen from the sea 92 00:05:32,208 --> 00:05:34,292 and descended from the sky. 93 00:05:35,708 --> 00:05:38,292 NARRATOR: Today, only a few dozen heiau, 94 00:05:38,458 --> 00:05:41,292 like Pi'ilanihale, still stand, 95 00:05:41,458 --> 00:05:44,292 but experts say that there were once thousands 96 00:05:44,458 --> 00:05:47,500 of these temple structures throughout the Hawaiian Islands. 97 00:05:47,667 --> 00:05:50,208 And what ancient astronaut theorists 98 00:05:50,375 --> 00:05:52,917 find intriguing is that the native Hawaiians 99 00:05:53,083 --> 00:05:57,042 say the architects of these temples were not humans. 100 00:05:57,208 --> 00:05:59,333 COLLINS: What's so interesting is that, 101 00:05:59,500 --> 00:06:01,875 according to local tradition on Hawaii, 102 00:06:02,042 --> 00:06:06,167 the builders of these temples, 103 00:06:06,333 --> 00:06:08,500 these heiaus, were actually 104 00:06:08,625 --> 00:06:14,333 a race of dwarves referred to as the Menehune. 105 00:06:15,875 --> 00:06:19,750 NARRATOR: The ancient legends of Hawaii say that beings of small stature 106 00:06:19,917 --> 00:06:23,042 called the Menehune inhabited these islands 107 00:06:23,208 --> 00:06:26,125 long before the first human settlers. 108 00:06:27,417 --> 00:06:30,250 The Menehune were created by the gods 109 00:06:30,417 --> 00:06:33,958 to serve as their messengers and to perform tasks. 110 00:06:35,167 --> 00:06:37,625 PAMELA SMITH: According to ancient Hawaiian stories, 111 00:06:37,750 --> 00:06:41,833 the Menehune were said to have had magical abilities, 112 00:06:42,000 --> 00:06:46,500 and that they created a lot of the megalithic structures there. 113 00:06:46,708 --> 00:06:49,208 And it's thought that they came from somewhere else 114 00:06:49,375 --> 00:06:51,917 and they were there before the humans. 115 00:06:53,125 --> 00:06:54,625 The Menehune worked at night 116 00:06:54,792 --> 00:06:56,417 because they didn't want to be seen. 117 00:06:56,542 --> 00:07:01,750 They built canals and gulfs and roads overnight. 118 00:07:01,875 --> 00:07:04,375 While skeptics think that the Menehune 119 00:07:04,542 --> 00:07:07,917 are just fictional, there was, in 1820, 120 00:07:08,042 --> 00:07:09,792 a census done in Hawaii, 121 00:07:09,958 --> 00:07:13,750 and 65 people claimed to be Menehune. 122 00:07:16,417 --> 00:07:19,292 PALAITA: There are many oral traditions across different villages 123 00:07:19,500 --> 00:07:21,375 that talk about Menehune that are able 124 00:07:21,542 --> 00:07:23,833 to actually travel into the underworld. 125 00:07:23,958 --> 00:07:28,458 And there are interconnected cave systems below the sea 126 00:07:28,625 --> 00:07:33,792 in which these folks appear in another place across Oceania. 127 00:07:35,208 --> 00:07:37,833 HENRY: The Menehune are interesting because we find 128 00:07:38,042 --> 00:07:41,167 similar stories spread throughout Oceania 129 00:07:41,333 --> 00:07:44,500 of small people helping to build these megalithic temples. 130 00:07:45,875 --> 00:07:49,583 NARRATOR: Is it possible that the ancient Hawaiian traditions are true, 131 00:07:49,792 --> 00:07:52,708 and that the megalithic temples found throughout the islands 132 00:07:52,875 --> 00:07:55,458 were built by non-human entities? 133 00:07:55,667 --> 00:07:58,333 And if so, could they have been more 134 00:07:58,542 --> 00:08:00,667 than simply places of worship? 135 00:08:01,708 --> 00:08:03,792 According to ancient astronaut theorists, 136 00:08:03,917 --> 00:08:07,792 their platform shape might offer an important clue. 137 00:08:08,750 --> 00:08:10,875 JASON MARTELL: Many of the megalithic platforms 138 00:08:11,042 --> 00:08:15,250 almost look as if they're built as a large landing platform. 139 00:08:15,417 --> 00:08:16,833 And it really makes you wonder 140 00:08:17,042 --> 00:08:19,042 if a lot of these ancient platforms 141 00:08:19,208 --> 00:08:22,833 were built for beings that have the power of flight. 142 00:08:23,875 --> 00:08:27,000 HENRY: Local legend says that they're essentially platforms 143 00:08:27,167 --> 00:08:29,542 where people would go to meet visitors. 144 00:08:29,750 --> 00:08:32,792 So, we have to be open to the possibility that these were 145 00:08:32,958 --> 00:08:36,875 places where actual visitors from the stars came down. 146 00:08:37,000 --> 00:08:39,583 They were landing places where people went 147 00:08:39,750 --> 00:08:41,625 to meet extraterrestrials. 148 00:08:42,875 --> 00:08:45,792 NARRATOR: Could it be that Pi'ilanihale Heiau 149 00:08:45,958 --> 00:08:48,083 and other platform structures like it 150 00:08:48,250 --> 00:08:49,833 that exist throughout Oceania 151 00:08:50,000 --> 00:08:54,583 once functioned as landing pads for otherworldly visitors? 152 00:08:55,625 --> 00:08:58,541 As far as ancient astronaut theorists are concerned, 153 00:08:58,542 --> 00:09:00,833 it's a distinct possibility, 154 00:09:01,042 --> 00:09:02,875 and they suggest 155 00:09:03,042 --> 00:09:06,000 further evidence of alien contact in Oceania 156 00:09:06,167 --> 00:09:10,833 can be found by examining the remote Marquesas Islands 157 00:09:11,042 --> 00:09:16,250 and the story behind their mysterious tiki statues. 158 00:09:21,917 --> 00:09:24,750 NARRATOR: 2,300 miles south of Hawaii 159 00:09:24,875 --> 00:09:27,833 lie 12 islands that make up the Marquesas, 160 00:09:28,042 --> 00:09:32,042 one of the most remote island groups in the world. 161 00:09:32,250 --> 00:09:37,958 Today, this archipelago is home to just over 9,000 inhabitants, 162 00:09:38,167 --> 00:09:41,000 but centuries ago, the Marquesas boasted 163 00:09:41,208 --> 00:09:43,667 ten times as many people. 164 00:10:13,042 --> 00:10:17,167 NARRATOR: With the population decimated, dense vegetation has overtaken 165 00:10:17,333 --> 00:10:19,958 many of the ancient sites on these islands, 166 00:10:20,167 --> 00:10:23,792 making them a treasure trove for new discoveries. 167 00:10:23,958 --> 00:10:27,125 One such example is the archaeological site 168 00:10:27,250 --> 00:10:30,625 of Kamuihei on the island of Nuku Hiva, 169 00:10:30,792 --> 00:10:34,000 first excavated in the 1990s. 170 00:10:54,375 --> 00:10:58,833 NARRATOR: Two large stones at the ancient site of Kamuihei 171 00:10:59,000 --> 00:11:04,625 are covered in petroglyphs depicting human figures, canoes, 172 00:11:04,792 --> 00:11:09,208 concentric circles, fish, and various animals, 173 00:11:09,375 --> 00:11:13,292 the most significant of which are three turtles. 174 00:11:13,458 --> 00:11:18,000 To the people of the Marquesas, the turtle is a powerful symbol. 175 00:11:44,875 --> 00:11:46,458 TSOUKALOS: Now, what's so interesting 176 00:11:46,625 --> 00:11:49,375 is that many of the ancient creation stories talk about 177 00:11:49,500 --> 00:11:55,375 that life originated by a cosmic turtle flying through space. 178 00:11:55,542 --> 00:11:58,958 All of First Nations people here of the Americas 179 00:11:59,125 --> 00:12:01,250 talk about this cosmic turtle. 180 00:12:01,417 --> 00:12:04,667 Japanese culture talks that the entire universe 181 00:12:04,875 --> 00:12:08,833 rests on the back of a cosmic turtle. 182 00:12:09,042 --> 00:12:12,417 In Guatemala, there are carvings 183 00:12:12,625 --> 00:12:16,667 of so-called giant flying turtles 184 00:12:16,792 --> 00:12:19,167 that once existed there. 185 00:12:19,375 --> 00:12:22,167 Now, if you look at some of these artifacts 186 00:12:22,375 --> 00:12:25,667 that were found there, they look like turtles, 187 00:12:25,833 --> 00:12:29,208 but they're not, because the head of that turtle 188 00:12:29,375 --> 00:12:35,458 is a guy's face inside a turtle's head with goggles. 189 00:12:35,625 --> 00:12:39,167 To me, that's another example of misunderstood technology, 190 00:12:39,292 --> 00:12:43,125 because whatever our ancestors witnessed up in the sky 191 00:12:43,292 --> 00:12:47,042 could best be compared to a turtle. 192 00:12:47,208 --> 00:12:50,458 And if you look at modern-day UFOs or UAPs, 193 00:12:50,667 --> 00:12:52,083 they have that weird, 194 00:12:52,250 --> 00:12:55,167 whether it's a disc shape or an oval shape, 195 00:12:55,292 --> 00:12:57,708 if you know nothing about technology, 196 00:12:57,875 --> 00:13:00,875 well, what's that closest to? A turtle body. 197 00:13:02,667 --> 00:13:06,125 NARRATOR: Could it be that the ancient people of the Marquesas 198 00:13:06,292 --> 00:13:08,792 associated turtles with the realm of the gods 199 00:13:08,958 --> 00:13:11,292 because they witnessed turtle-shaped craft 200 00:13:11,458 --> 00:13:13,333 descending from the sky? 201 00:13:13,458 --> 00:13:17,625 Perhaps further clues can be found by examining figures 202 00:13:17,792 --> 00:13:19,792 that the Marquesas share in common 203 00:13:20,000 --> 00:13:24,833 with numerous other Polynesian Islands: the tiki. 204 00:13:25,042 --> 00:13:27,667 You find tikis in Aotearoa in New Zealand. 205 00:13:27,792 --> 00:13:29,792 Maori people carved them. 206 00:13:29,958 --> 00:13:32,042 Uh, Hawaiians carved them as well. 207 00:13:32,208 --> 00:13:36,875 You might find them in Micronesia, Tonga, or in Samoa. 208 00:13:37,000 --> 00:13:39,708 You have different variations. 209 00:13:39,875 --> 00:13:42,000 It's thought that the tiki statues 210 00:13:42,167 --> 00:13:44,042 originated in the Marquesas Islands. 211 00:13:44,250 --> 00:13:48,333 It was part of their tradition, part of their culture. 212 00:13:48,500 --> 00:13:51,417 These are thought to be the deified ancestors 213 00:13:51,583 --> 00:13:53,417 of the people of this area. 214 00:13:54,583 --> 00:13:56,167 They're almost like living beings. 215 00:13:57,625 --> 00:14:02,625 COLLINS: Tiki statues are on the edges of sacred enclosures, 216 00:14:02,750 --> 00:14:05,667 generally facing outwards to install fear 217 00:14:05,875 --> 00:14:07,542 in anybody that looks upon them. 218 00:14:07,750 --> 00:14:10,375 The reason for this is to say, 219 00:14:10,542 --> 00:14:13,792 if you are entering inside these sacred enclosures, 220 00:14:13,958 --> 00:14:15,500 you know, respect the place. 221 00:14:43,208 --> 00:14:46,167 NARRATOR: While explanations for who the tikis represent 222 00:14:46,333 --> 00:14:48,958 can differ from one island group to the next, 223 00:14:49,083 --> 00:14:52,667 they are most often associated with ancient ancestors 224 00:14:52,875 --> 00:14:55,167 and various deities. 225 00:14:55,333 --> 00:14:58,125 But in the Marquesas, the carvings are all meant 226 00:14:58,292 --> 00:15:01,000 to depict one specific figure. 227 00:15:02,375 --> 00:15:05,542 The lore has it that tiki was the primary 228 00:15:05,708 --> 00:15:08,292 ancestor and creator of Nuku Hiva. 229 00:15:08,417 --> 00:15:11,333 He was created in the image of the sky god. 230 00:15:12,375 --> 00:15:15,042 And so, the local people made statues in honor 231 00:15:15,250 --> 00:15:19,417 of their creator god, tiki, and used them in worship. 232 00:15:42,042 --> 00:15:45,542 TSOUKALOS: What's so fascinating about these statues is that you have 233 00:15:45,708 --> 00:15:48,250 these giant goggle eyes 234 00:15:48,458 --> 00:15:50,874 and gigantic heads. 235 00:15:50,875 --> 00:15:53,333 They're very similar with depictions today 236 00:15:53,500 --> 00:15:56,917 that some people report with the so-called Greys. 237 00:15:57,125 --> 00:15:59,000 We are looking at the otherworldly beings. 238 00:15:59,208 --> 00:16:00,583 They're right in front of our eyes. 239 00:16:03,917 --> 00:16:05,875 NARRATOR: For ancient astronaut theorists, 240 00:16:06,042 --> 00:16:08,417 another curious aspect of the tikis 241 00:16:08,583 --> 00:16:13,167 is the idea that they possess a mysterious power called mana. 242 00:16:14,125 --> 00:16:16,083 COLLINS: Mana is like a sort of life force. 243 00:16:16,250 --> 00:16:18,500 But it was also something that was seen 244 00:16:18,625 --> 00:16:21,333 to have, like, a consciousness in its own right 245 00:16:21,542 --> 00:16:24,667 and that only the rocks in certain regions 246 00:16:24,792 --> 00:16:26,792 were said to have this power. 247 00:16:26,917 --> 00:16:30,083 So if you transferred this rock 248 00:16:30,292 --> 00:16:33,958 to where you were gonna build your temple, 249 00:16:34,167 --> 00:16:35,917 then you would be transferring 250 00:16:36,042 --> 00:16:38,958 divine power from one place to another. 251 00:16:40,500 --> 00:16:44,417 TSOUKALOS: This concept of mana is something that permeates 252 00:16:44,583 --> 00:16:46,458 all of Polynesian culture. 253 00:16:46,625 --> 00:16:49,167 It doesn't matter what culture you go to-- 254 00:16:49,292 --> 00:16:52,542 they all speak of this mana power. 255 00:16:52,708 --> 00:16:54,833 And the question I have is 256 00:16:55,042 --> 00:16:58,792 is it rooted in some type of technology 257 00:16:58,958 --> 00:17:01,375 that our ancestors didn't quite comprehend? 258 00:17:03,125 --> 00:17:05,708 NARRATOR: Does the story behind the tikis, 259 00:17:05,875 --> 00:17:07,958 along with their unusual appearance, 260 00:17:08,125 --> 00:17:11,500 provide further evidence that the islands of the Pacific 261 00:17:11,708 --> 00:17:15,417 were a place of ancient extraterrestrial visitation? 262 00:17:15,958 --> 00:17:18,125 Perhaps further clues can be found 263 00:17:18,292 --> 00:17:20,375 by examining another location 264 00:17:20,500 --> 00:17:23,500 that has profound ties to the Marquesas: 265 00:17:23,667 --> 00:17:25,375 Easter Island. 266 00:17:30,875 --> 00:17:32,167 NARRATOR: On the far eastern edge 267 00:17:32,375 --> 00:17:34,667 of the vast region known as Oceania 268 00:17:34,875 --> 00:17:37,875 lies the island of Rapa Nui. 269 00:17:38,042 --> 00:17:40,958 More commonly known as Easter Island, 270 00:17:41,125 --> 00:17:44,958 this remote location has become famous around the world 271 00:17:45,083 --> 00:17:48,417 for its iconic moai statues. 272 00:17:48,583 --> 00:17:51,667 Like the tiki found on other Pacific Islands, 273 00:17:51,875 --> 00:17:54,042 the moai are thought to be imbued 274 00:17:54,208 --> 00:17:56,750 with the mysterious power known as mana. 275 00:17:57,750 --> 00:18:00,125 Nearly a thousand of these strange sculptures 276 00:18:00,292 --> 00:18:01,667 dot the coastline, 277 00:18:01,833 --> 00:18:04,708 some standing over 30 feet high. 278 00:18:06,792 --> 00:18:09,000 NEWMAN: The moai statues have 279 00:18:09,208 --> 00:18:12,500 a specific style of these kind of long faces... 280 00:18:13,542 --> 00:18:16,458 ...with bellies with hands going around the side, 281 00:18:16,583 --> 00:18:17,750 touching the navel, 282 00:18:17,917 --> 00:18:19,958 often with elongated fingers. 283 00:18:20,125 --> 00:18:22,417 And some of them are beautifully carved 284 00:18:22,625 --> 00:18:25,875 and have intricate, almost, like, tattoo-like carvings 285 00:18:26,042 --> 00:18:28,000 down the back of them. 286 00:18:28,208 --> 00:18:32,083 PALAITA: There have been archaeological, anthropological debates over 287 00:18:32,250 --> 00:18:34,583 how they were constructed, how they got there, 288 00:18:34,708 --> 00:18:36,458 and the function. 289 00:18:36,583 --> 00:18:39,125 And as someone that's also navigated the seas, 290 00:18:39,333 --> 00:18:42,708 in many different voyaging societies across Oceania, 291 00:18:42,875 --> 00:18:46,000 the moai, to us, were sort of a way 292 00:18:46,208 --> 00:18:49,000 to help us navigate across the ocean. 293 00:18:49,542 --> 00:18:53,375 So Rapa Nui is the very end of Oceania. 294 00:18:53,542 --> 00:18:56,458 And so canoes coming in from, say, South America, 295 00:18:56,583 --> 00:18:59,375 moai, you could see from far away 296 00:18:59,542 --> 00:19:01,875 at the time that we're coming in and out of the region. 297 00:19:03,500 --> 00:19:06,083 NARRATOR: While the moai have served practical purposes 298 00:19:06,208 --> 00:19:08,542 for people navigating the open ocean, 299 00:19:08,708 --> 00:19:13,250 just who or what they represent is largely a mystery. 300 00:19:13,458 --> 00:19:16,958 But according to the local Rapa Nui legends, 301 00:19:17,083 --> 00:19:19,333 the moai depict strange visitors 302 00:19:19,500 --> 00:19:22,707 who inhabited the islands long ago. 303 00:19:22,708 --> 00:19:26,500 VIEIRA: The moai are believed to represent these ancestors... 304 00:19:27,458 --> 00:19:29,792 ...that the ancient people encountered. 305 00:19:31,375 --> 00:19:34,000 The traditions clearly state in Easter Island 306 00:19:34,125 --> 00:19:37,417 that giants are the royal class. 307 00:19:38,542 --> 00:19:41,792 The priestly class of Easter Island in ancient times. 308 00:19:43,417 --> 00:19:46,292 NARRATOR: Could the moai have been inspired by giants? 309 00:19:47,375 --> 00:19:50,417 And if so, where did they come from? 310 00:19:51,833 --> 00:19:54,625 According to the ancient stories of Easter Island, 311 00:19:54,792 --> 00:19:57,500 the answer is provided by seven moai 312 00:19:57,708 --> 00:20:02,625 that stand on a sacred platform known as Ahu Akivi. 313 00:20:03,708 --> 00:20:07,582 YOUNG: The moai at Ahu Akivi are the only ones 314 00:20:07,583 --> 00:20:11,458 that are facing toward the sea out of the 887 315 00:20:11,583 --> 00:20:13,208 on the island. 316 00:20:13,375 --> 00:20:15,333 Those seven are thought to represent 317 00:20:15,542 --> 00:20:19,249 the seven brave explorers who came to discover 318 00:20:19,250 --> 00:20:21,542 this new homeland for the people. 319 00:20:21,750 --> 00:20:25,167 NARRATOR: The seven moai on the Ahu Akivi platform 320 00:20:25,292 --> 00:20:27,667 face directly toward the Marquesas Islands, 321 00:20:27,792 --> 00:20:31,250 roughly 2,300 miles away. 322 00:20:32,333 --> 00:20:36,583 It was said that they represented divine ancestors... 323 00:20:37,667 --> 00:20:41,542 ...that came from the island of Hiva. 324 00:20:41,708 --> 00:20:44,792 And this we can connect with the Marquesas Islands. 325 00:20:44,958 --> 00:20:48,500 So what exactly was going on in the Marquesas Islands 326 00:20:48,667 --> 00:20:52,458 before the creation of the first moai statues? 327 00:20:54,375 --> 00:20:57,125 NARRATOR: Is it possible that strange giant beings 328 00:20:57,292 --> 00:20:59,292 once inhabited the Marquesas Islands 329 00:20:59,458 --> 00:21:02,208 and migrated to Easter Island? 330 00:21:03,250 --> 00:21:05,917 Could this be what the moai are commemorating? 331 00:21:07,083 --> 00:21:09,250 Ancient astronaut theorists say yes 332 00:21:09,375 --> 00:21:12,333 and suggest the story of the moai 333 00:21:12,542 --> 00:21:15,542 may also shed light on the power of mana. 334 00:21:16,542 --> 00:21:17,792 COLLINS: The energy 335 00:21:17,958 --> 00:21:19,500 of the mana 336 00:21:19,667 --> 00:21:21,833 was said to have been transferred to Easter Island 337 00:21:22,000 --> 00:21:23,625 from Hiva. 338 00:21:23,750 --> 00:21:27,917 And this divine force that was seen to embody 339 00:21:28,083 --> 00:21:32,708 these moai statues with an energy 340 00:21:32,875 --> 00:21:35,667 that was said to bring alive the statues. 341 00:21:35,875 --> 00:21:38,417 It was said to give them consciousness. 342 00:21:39,708 --> 00:21:42,167 YOUNG: One of the ancient names of Easter Island 343 00:21:42,333 --> 00:21:44,250 is "Eyes Looking to the Sky." 344 00:21:44,417 --> 00:21:46,333 And this refers to the pupils 345 00:21:46,542 --> 00:21:49,083 in those great stone statues, 346 00:21:49,250 --> 00:21:50,875 which were put in place of obsidian 347 00:21:51,042 --> 00:21:53,333 or coral or red scoria. 348 00:21:53,542 --> 00:21:56,082 And when the statues had pupils, 349 00:21:56,083 --> 00:21:58,625 they came to life, 350 00:21:58,792 --> 00:22:02,333 imbued with mana to have supernatural powers. 351 00:22:04,000 --> 00:22:07,083 NARRATOR: According to the ancient stories of the Rapa Nui, 352 00:22:07,292 --> 00:22:09,333 the power of mana was even used 353 00:22:09,500 --> 00:22:12,000 to move the giant statues into place. 354 00:22:14,125 --> 00:22:16,083 YOUNG: Legend holds that a great king, 355 00:22:16,208 --> 00:22:18,083 Tuu Ku Ihu, 356 00:22:18,250 --> 00:22:23,458 was given the gift of mana from the great creator god, 357 00:22:23,625 --> 00:22:26,500 and used the power of mana 358 00:22:26,625 --> 00:22:29,625 to command that the great stone statues walk. 359 00:22:33,500 --> 00:22:34,833 TSOUKALOS: Since the dawn of time, 360 00:22:35,000 --> 00:22:37,667 the people of Rapa Nui have maintained 361 00:22:37,875 --> 00:22:40,917 that the way with which the moai were moved around 362 00:22:41,042 --> 00:22:44,833 was through a power called mana. 363 00:22:45,042 --> 00:22:47,750 However, according to the ancient astronaut theory, 364 00:22:47,875 --> 00:22:53,292 the idea is that mana was a misunderstood technology. 365 00:22:53,458 --> 00:22:56,458 Because the fact that we have stories 366 00:22:56,583 --> 00:23:01,416 where these gigantic blocks were not dragged across the soil 367 00:23:01,417 --> 00:23:02,833 but flown through the air, 368 00:23:03,000 --> 00:23:05,333 to me, indicates that there had to have been 369 00:23:05,500 --> 00:23:08,167 some type of a technology behind it 370 00:23:08,292 --> 00:23:11,000 that our ancestors witnessed 371 00:23:11,208 --> 00:23:14,792 and thought that it was magic. 372 00:23:16,042 --> 00:23:19,292 NARRATOR: Could it be that the ancient concept of mana 373 00:23:19,417 --> 00:23:22,125 was inspired by some type of advanced technology 374 00:23:22,292 --> 00:23:25,500 that was witnessed by people throughout the Pacific Islands 375 00:23:25,625 --> 00:23:27,917 thousands of years ago? 376 00:23:29,167 --> 00:23:31,208 Was this region once the home 377 00:23:31,417 --> 00:23:34,958 of an extraterrestrial civilization on Earth? 378 00:23:35,958 --> 00:23:37,500 Perhaps further clues can be found 379 00:23:37,625 --> 00:23:41,333 by examining the Pacific Islands' most mysterious 380 00:23:41,500 --> 00:23:44,083 and astonishing megalithic site. 381 00:23:50,875 --> 00:23:52,083 ♪ ♪ 382 00:23:53,708 --> 00:23:55,333 NARRATOR: The island of Pohnpei, 383 00:23:55,458 --> 00:23:57,042 Micronesia. 384 00:23:57,208 --> 00:24:00,917 Here, just off the island's southeastern shore, 385 00:24:01,083 --> 00:24:03,500 the ruins of an ancient civilization 386 00:24:03,708 --> 00:24:05,667 rise from the ocean. 387 00:24:06,708 --> 00:24:11,458 This complex known as Nan Madol covers 19 square miles 388 00:24:11,625 --> 00:24:15,292 and is built from hundreds of megalithic basalt columns 389 00:24:15,458 --> 00:24:18,250 that are stacked nearly 30 feet high. 390 00:24:19,250 --> 00:24:23,583 Nan Madol is sometimes called the Eighth Wonder of the World. 391 00:24:24,875 --> 00:24:30,125 It is a gigantic area built into the ocean 392 00:24:30,292 --> 00:24:33,542 of about 100 artificial islands. 393 00:24:34,500 --> 00:24:36,375 And those artificial islands are created 394 00:24:36,542 --> 00:24:41,083 by taking huge pillars of basalt. 395 00:24:41,250 --> 00:24:46,083 The largest of these big basalt logs and rocks 396 00:24:46,250 --> 00:24:48,667 is said to weigh 80 tons. 397 00:24:48,792 --> 00:24:50,708 And they pile these up 398 00:24:50,875 --> 00:24:56,333 and then they make these, like, Lincoln Log structures there. 399 00:24:56,458 --> 00:24:58,625 And some of them are 30 feet high. 400 00:25:00,208 --> 00:25:04,667 NARRATOR: The island city was once a hub for the Saudeleur dynasty, 401 00:25:04,833 --> 00:25:09,667 which ruled the region from 1100 to 1628 AD. 402 00:25:09,875 --> 00:25:11,292 THOMPSON: Nan Madol seemed to have been 403 00:25:11,417 --> 00:25:14,375 a major center for the Saudeleur dynasty, 404 00:25:14,542 --> 00:25:17,125 which is a major trading network and empire. 405 00:25:18,125 --> 00:25:20,333 On the other hand, we have evidence of, 406 00:25:20,542 --> 00:25:22,833 a thousand years earlier or more, 407 00:25:23,000 --> 00:25:25,583 people living in this site and working this site. 408 00:25:25,750 --> 00:25:29,875 We know very, very little about the origins of Nan Madol. 409 00:25:30,917 --> 00:25:33,749 First thing that anybody would think about 410 00:25:33,750 --> 00:25:36,042 is why do they build it there. 411 00:25:55,792 --> 00:25:59,208 NARRATOR: What purpose Nan Madol served remains unknown. 412 00:26:00,208 --> 00:26:03,041 And equally mysterious are the questions 413 00:26:03,042 --> 00:26:06,708 of who built the towering stone structures 414 00:26:06,875 --> 00:26:12,167 and how did they accomplish such an astonishing feat. 415 00:26:12,375 --> 00:26:14,667 To say that Nan Madol was not an easy thing to build 416 00:26:14,833 --> 00:26:16,167 would be an understatement, 417 00:26:16,333 --> 00:26:17,625 especially when you consider 418 00:26:17,792 --> 00:26:19,500 that they would have been dependent upon canoes 419 00:26:19,667 --> 00:26:21,667 for transport of things. 420 00:26:21,875 --> 00:26:25,625 And access to the only known source of these columns 421 00:26:25,792 --> 00:26:27,750 is very remote. It's very high up. 422 00:26:27,917 --> 00:26:31,958 It's very difficult to get to the columns themselves. 423 00:26:33,000 --> 00:26:35,458 And transporting them would have been difficult, 424 00:26:35,625 --> 00:26:37,167 stacking them, building with them-- 425 00:26:37,375 --> 00:26:40,500 every aspect of it would have been incredibly difficult. 426 00:26:40,708 --> 00:26:42,083 TSOUKALOS: It is said that 427 00:26:42,250 --> 00:26:45,042 the basalt columns that were used at Nan Madol 428 00:26:45,167 --> 00:26:49,000 were brought in from the other side of Pohnpei Island. 429 00:26:49,167 --> 00:26:52,625 Now, when you ask the local population 430 00:26:52,792 --> 00:26:54,875 how did Nan Madol come into existence, 431 00:26:55,042 --> 00:26:58,250 they immediately go to an ancient mythology 432 00:26:58,458 --> 00:27:00,750 that speaks of these two brothers 433 00:27:00,917 --> 00:27:02,708 who descended from the sky, 434 00:27:02,875 --> 00:27:04,833 Olosohpa and Olisihpa, 435 00:27:05,042 --> 00:27:07,625 who allegedly built Nan Madol. 436 00:27:08,583 --> 00:27:10,792 CHILDRESS: The islanders say that all 437 00:27:11,000 --> 00:27:14,750 of this 250 million tons of basalt 438 00:27:14,958 --> 00:27:17,625 was flown across the island 439 00:27:17,833 --> 00:27:21,042 and then put into place. 440 00:27:21,208 --> 00:27:23,542 You know, you have to wonder, you know, 441 00:27:23,750 --> 00:27:26,250 is this all connected to extraterrestrials? 442 00:27:27,958 --> 00:27:30,833 NARRATOR: Could Nan Madol's unique construction be evidence 443 00:27:30,958 --> 00:27:33,667 of extraterrestrial technology, 444 00:27:33,792 --> 00:27:36,750 as some ancient astronaut theorists suggest? 445 00:27:37,708 --> 00:27:39,833 Perhaps further clues can be found 446 00:27:40,000 --> 00:27:42,792 by examining another local legend. 447 00:27:42,917 --> 00:27:46,333 This one says that hidden beneath Nan Madol 448 00:27:46,542 --> 00:27:49,167 is an even older megalithic site. 449 00:27:50,125 --> 00:27:53,625 A fascinating legend says that Nan Madol is built on top 450 00:27:53,792 --> 00:27:58,083 of a former city that was there called Kanamwayso. 451 00:27:59,042 --> 00:28:01,500 And the legend says that Kanamwayso existed 452 00:28:01,625 --> 00:28:02,833 thousands of years ago. 453 00:28:03,000 --> 00:28:04,708 It was inhabited by an advanced race 454 00:28:04,875 --> 00:28:07,292 that had spectacular engineering skills, 455 00:28:07,458 --> 00:28:09,000 advanced engineering skills, 456 00:28:09,167 --> 00:28:12,083 and that they ultimately built Nan Madol. 457 00:28:14,583 --> 00:28:17,292 NEWMAN: Some scuba diving that was done there found 458 00:28:17,500 --> 00:28:19,250 that, quite deep under the water, 459 00:28:19,417 --> 00:28:21,750 there's evidence of these columns being stacked 460 00:28:21,875 --> 00:28:24,167 and placed in certain areas. 461 00:28:24,375 --> 00:28:26,792 So it's highly probable 462 00:28:26,958 --> 00:28:30,500 that the whole complex was much larger 463 00:28:30,625 --> 00:28:33,167 and stretched further off the island 464 00:28:33,292 --> 00:28:38,375 and now is submerged under the sea in the same location. 465 00:28:41,208 --> 00:28:43,750 NARRATOR: Numerous ancient cultures around the world 466 00:28:43,917 --> 00:28:47,500 recorded accounts of lost civilizations, 467 00:28:47,708 --> 00:28:50,500 like the famous lost continent of Atlantis 468 00:28:50,667 --> 00:28:53,167 that the Greek philosopher Plato wrote about 469 00:28:53,375 --> 00:28:55,708 in the fourth century BC. 470 00:28:56,708 --> 00:28:58,167 But while most researchers suggest 471 00:28:58,375 --> 00:29:00,708 that Atlantis would have been located somewhere 472 00:29:00,875 --> 00:29:03,125 in the Atlantic Ocean, 473 00:29:03,333 --> 00:29:06,500 another lost civilization is said to have existed 474 00:29:06,708 --> 00:29:09,833 in the Pacific that is known as Lemuria. 475 00:29:10,833 --> 00:29:13,500 CHILDRESS: The idea of Lemuria is that, 476 00:29:13,625 --> 00:29:15,375 12,000 years ago, 477 00:29:15,542 --> 00:29:20,917 when, uh, the ocean levels were 300 to 400 feet down, 478 00:29:21,083 --> 00:29:23,542 many of these island groups, 479 00:29:23,708 --> 00:29:25,958 rather than being many different islands, 480 00:29:26,083 --> 00:29:28,750 it would have been one continent. 481 00:29:29,708 --> 00:29:31,500 VIEIRA: The traditions tell us 482 00:29:31,708 --> 00:29:33,250 that there was so much megalithic building 483 00:29:33,375 --> 00:29:35,125 around the Pacific Islands 484 00:29:35,250 --> 00:29:38,583 because it is a transfer of tradition 485 00:29:38,750 --> 00:29:40,500 from a lost continent, Lemuria. 486 00:29:41,542 --> 00:29:44,750 So you have this ancient idea of a lost continent. 487 00:29:44,875 --> 00:29:47,042 And they transfer the know-how 488 00:29:47,250 --> 00:29:49,375 and the ritual of megalithic building 489 00:29:49,542 --> 00:29:52,333 to all these cultures in the Pacific Islands. 490 00:29:53,375 --> 00:29:57,000 HENRY: If Lemuria did exist in ancient Oceania, 491 00:29:57,167 --> 00:30:00,583 then perhaps this is a place where we're gonna find evidence 492 00:30:00,750 --> 00:30:04,000 of extraterrestrials on Earth. 493 00:30:05,500 --> 00:30:08,792 NARRATOR: Is it possible that the remote islands of the Pacific 494 00:30:08,958 --> 00:30:11,042 are in fact the last remnants 495 00:30:11,167 --> 00:30:14,083 of the lost continent of Lemuria? 496 00:30:15,083 --> 00:30:17,167 While ancient astronaut theorists suggest 497 00:30:17,333 --> 00:30:19,375 that this region of the world was home 498 00:30:19,542 --> 00:30:21,917 to an advanced extraterrestrial civilization 499 00:30:22,083 --> 00:30:24,833 many thousands of years ago, 500 00:30:25,042 --> 00:30:28,833 curiously, there is one group of Pacific Islands 501 00:30:28,958 --> 00:30:31,667 where all manner of strange phenomena 502 00:30:31,875 --> 00:30:34,958 are still reported today. 503 00:30:39,667 --> 00:30:42,667 NARRATOR: Roughly 1,300 miles northeast of Australia 504 00:30:42,875 --> 00:30:45,374 lie the Solomon Islands. 505 00:30:45,375 --> 00:30:49,875 This archipelago spans over 11,000 square miles 506 00:30:50,042 --> 00:30:54,000 and is made up of more than 900 islands, 507 00:30:54,125 --> 00:30:57,375 the largest of which is Guadalcanal. 508 00:30:58,542 --> 00:31:00,083 During the 1940s, 509 00:31:00,250 --> 00:31:02,333 this island became known as the location 510 00:31:02,542 --> 00:31:06,292 of one of the fiercest battles of World War II. 511 00:31:07,333 --> 00:31:11,125 But for locals, Guadalcanal is famous as the site 512 00:31:11,333 --> 00:31:13,708 for all sorts of unexplained phenomena, 513 00:31:13,875 --> 00:31:15,708 including orbs of light, 514 00:31:15,875 --> 00:31:18,875 UFOs, and strange beings. 515 00:31:20,375 --> 00:31:23,417 There are mysterious legends all over the Solomons, actually. 516 00:31:24,917 --> 00:31:28,500 There is always a reference 517 00:31:28,667 --> 00:31:31,625 to beings other than human beings, 518 00:31:31,833 --> 00:31:33,250 that, in this world, 519 00:31:33,375 --> 00:31:37,167 human beings are only one type of being 520 00:31:37,333 --> 00:31:40,833 that live along with other kinds of beings, 521 00:31:41,000 --> 00:31:43,625 like little people or small people 522 00:31:43,750 --> 00:31:48,083 or people who are both human beings 523 00:31:48,250 --> 00:31:51,333 as well as taking the form of animals as well 524 00:31:51,542 --> 00:31:54,042 and that there is always an interaction 525 00:31:54,250 --> 00:31:57,167 between human beings and these other beings. 526 00:31:57,333 --> 00:31:59,750 A lot of the stories from Guadalcanal 527 00:31:59,917 --> 00:32:02,292 tend to talk about giants. 528 00:32:04,292 --> 00:32:07,000 Giants are often portrayed in different ways. 529 00:32:07,208 --> 00:32:09,000 Sometimes they are benevolent giants. 530 00:32:09,167 --> 00:32:10,583 They help people. 531 00:32:12,083 --> 00:32:13,500 They look after people. 532 00:32:13,708 --> 00:32:16,667 But there are stories about giants killing people 533 00:32:16,833 --> 00:32:19,083 and taking over things. 534 00:32:19,625 --> 00:32:22,000 So, giant is a major character 535 00:32:22,167 --> 00:32:24,208 in a lot of the Guadalcanal stories. 536 00:32:25,583 --> 00:32:27,417 VIEIRA: The legends of the Solomon Islands 537 00:32:27,542 --> 00:32:29,917 for centuries have been that there were giants 538 00:32:30,083 --> 00:32:32,625 in these dense jungles and mountain regions. 539 00:32:32,750 --> 00:32:37,000 These giants are reported to be from ten to 15 foot tall. 540 00:32:37,167 --> 00:32:40,333 They have strange supernatural abilities and strength, 541 00:32:40,500 --> 00:32:44,208 and the islanders report a malevolent side to them. 542 00:32:44,750 --> 00:32:46,375 KABUTAULAKA: The giants are described 543 00:32:46,542 --> 00:32:50,333 as beings with long hair and big foot. 544 00:32:50,542 --> 00:32:55,083 But they have special power in that they can move fast. 545 00:32:55,208 --> 00:32:58,250 They can fly through the air as well. 546 00:32:58,375 --> 00:33:00,833 People talk about this not only as just stories-- 547 00:33:01,000 --> 00:33:04,083 they think that giants actually exist. 548 00:33:05,375 --> 00:33:08,833 NARRATOR: Could Guadalcanal really be home to giants? 549 00:33:09,000 --> 00:33:12,250 And if so, where did they come from? 550 00:33:13,542 --> 00:33:15,000 Some residents believe 551 00:33:15,125 --> 00:33:17,542 the reports of giants on the Solomon Islands 552 00:33:17,708 --> 00:33:21,458 are related to the frequent appearance of mysterious lights 553 00:33:21,583 --> 00:33:24,667 flying around Guadalcanal's largest volcano. 554 00:33:24,833 --> 00:33:28,667 The Solomon Islands are famous for UFO activity, 555 00:33:28,833 --> 00:33:30,750 and it centers around a mountain 556 00:33:30,917 --> 00:33:32,374 in the middle of the island 557 00:33:32,375 --> 00:33:34,167 that's remote, where no one lives. 558 00:33:34,292 --> 00:33:37,000 But people claim to see UFOs 559 00:33:37,167 --> 00:33:39,208 coming in and out of that mountain. 560 00:33:40,083 --> 00:33:43,500 TIM SWARTZ: The local people have seen for centuries 561 00:33:43,708 --> 00:33:47,958 a glowing object that is seen to come from a nearby mountain 562 00:33:48,125 --> 00:33:49,958 and then enter the ocean. 563 00:33:50,125 --> 00:33:53,250 They refer to this as a dragon snake. 564 00:33:53,458 --> 00:33:57,083 These objects are seen to enter the waters around this area 565 00:33:57,292 --> 00:33:59,000 and then come back out again 566 00:33:59,167 --> 00:34:01,625 and then disappear into the nearby mountain. 567 00:34:02,667 --> 00:34:05,792 KABUTAULAKA: I've heard a lot of people talk about seeing lights 568 00:34:05,917 --> 00:34:07,167 that they cannot describe, 569 00:34:07,375 --> 00:34:10,250 that it either flies overhead 570 00:34:10,417 --> 00:34:14,042 or they see lights in the ocean coming out of the ocean 571 00:34:14,208 --> 00:34:16,167 and then flying overhead. 572 00:34:17,292 --> 00:34:19,458 NARRATOR: While many reports of strange encounters 573 00:34:19,583 --> 00:34:23,000 on the Solomon Islands date back decades, 574 00:34:23,125 --> 00:34:24,917 even today it remains 575 00:34:25,042 --> 00:34:28,000 one of the world's most active UFO hot spots. 576 00:34:29,000 --> 00:34:32,917 SWARTZ: There's been so many sightings of UFOs around the Solomons 577 00:34:33,042 --> 00:34:38,167 that in 2024 there was a UFO information and research center 578 00:34:38,375 --> 00:34:42,083 set up to compile all of these reports. 579 00:34:43,125 --> 00:34:45,250 There is a possibility that UFO activity 580 00:34:45,375 --> 00:34:47,667 occurs around the Solomons 581 00:34:47,833 --> 00:34:50,125 because they are so remote. 582 00:34:51,125 --> 00:34:52,833 VIEIRA: These are isolated Pacific Islands. 583 00:34:53,000 --> 00:34:57,625 And, in fact, 70% of the Solomon Islands is virgin rainforest, 584 00:34:57,833 --> 00:35:00,875 which is where most of the encounters come from. 585 00:35:04,083 --> 00:35:06,042 NARRATOR: Do the many accounts of giants, 586 00:35:06,167 --> 00:35:09,000 mysterious lights, UFOs, 587 00:35:09,167 --> 00:35:11,250 and other strange phenomena 588 00:35:11,417 --> 00:35:13,667 reveal that the Solomon Islands 589 00:35:13,833 --> 00:35:17,750 have long been a site of extraterrestrial visitation? 590 00:35:17,875 --> 00:35:20,667 And if so, why here? 591 00:35:20,792 --> 00:35:26,167 Perhaps clues can be found in the region's unique geology. 592 00:35:27,208 --> 00:35:30,292 HENRY: The Solomon Islands are located in the famous Ring of Fire, 593 00:35:30,417 --> 00:35:34,208 which is noted for having high levels of electromagnetism 594 00:35:34,375 --> 00:35:36,333 and strange phenomena occurring. 595 00:35:36,500 --> 00:35:40,208 And now we have frequent reports of these light objects 596 00:35:40,375 --> 00:35:43,917 or even craft that are emerging from within the ocean. 597 00:35:44,083 --> 00:35:45,833 And it tells us there's something going on 598 00:35:46,000 --> 00:35:47,167 in this region 599 00:35:47,333 --> 00:35:48,875 and that perhaps this is 600 00:35:49,000 --> 00:35:51,167 where we want to really start looking for evidence 601 00:35:51,375 --> 00:35:53,125 of extraterrestrial activity. 602 00:35:54,750 --> 00:35:57,208 NARRATOR: Could it be that the tectonic activity 603 00:35:57,417 --> 00:35:59,125 around the Pacific Islands 604 00:35:59,292 --> 00:36:03,667 have attracted extraterrestrial visitors for millennia? 605 00:36:04,667 --> 00:36:06,542 Ancient astronaut theorists suggest 606 00:36:06,708 --> 00:36:08,708 that examining modern-day encounters 607 00:36:08,875 --> 00:36:11,167 alongside prehistoric mysteries 608 00:36:11,333 --> 00:36:14,750 may reveal that the Pacific Islands 609 00:36:14,958 --> 00:36:19,125 are not simply a destination for otherworldly beings 610 00:36:19,250 --> 00:36:21,583 but a home base. 611 00:36:26,708 --> 00:36:29,249 NARRATOR: In the Southwest Pacific Ocean, 612 00:36:29,250 --> 00:36:32,667 1,100 miles north of New Zealand, 613 00:36:32,792 --> 00:36:35,250 lies the Kingdom of Tonga. 614 00:36:35,417 --> 00:36:39,875 Most of Tonga's 170 islands are uninhabited, 615 00:36:40,000 --> 00:36:42,875 but the main island of Tongatapu 616 00:36:43,042 --> 00:36:45,542 is home to more than 74,000 people 617 00:36:45,708 --> 00:36:49,333 and has become a popular tourist destination. 618 00:36:49,500 --> 00:36:53,292 But while Tongatapu has become more strongly connected 619 00:36:53,458 --> 00:36:54,708 to the modern world, 620 00:36:54,875 --> 00:36:56,500 it is best known 621 00:36:56,667 --> 00:36:59,292 for a mysterious ancient megalithic structure 622 00:36:59,458 --> 00:37:02,500 called Ha'amonga 'a Maui. 623 00:37:03,583 --> 00:37:07,833 ROBERT SCHOCH: Ha'amonga 'a Maui is this wonderful 624 00:37:07,958 --> 00:37:11,500 stone trilithon in Tonga. 625 00:37:12,708 --> 00:37:17,042 "Trilithon" means that it's made out of three huge stone blocks. 626 00:37:17,208 --> 00:37:20,750 These are carved from the local coral limestone. 627 00:37:20,917 --> 00:37:26,417 Each of these blocks weighs an estimated 30 or 40 tons. 628 00:37:27,375 --> 00:37:30,167 So this is an incredible engineering feat 629 00:37:30,375 --> 00:37:32,000 that's found on Tonga, 630 00:37:32,125 --> 00:37:35,917 and we don't know that much about it. 631 00:37:36,125 --> 00:37:40,375 For the Tongans, it is like the symbol of their island. 632 00:37:40,500 --> 00:37:43,750 And it's unique on the island, too. 633 00:37:43,917 --> 00:37:45,917 It's just the one trilithon. 634 00:37:48,667 --> 00:37:50,500 NARRATOR: While Ha'amonga 'a Maui 635 00:37:50,708 --> 00:37:53,458 is the only megalithic trilithon in Tonga, 636 00:37:53,667 --> 00:37:58,542 similar trilithons can be found in Greece, 637 00:37:58,708 --> 00:38:00,542 Malta, 638 00:38:00,708 --> 00:38:03,250 Egypt, 639 00:38:03,458 --> 00:38:07,417 and, most famously, at Stonehenge in England. 640 00:38:07,583 --> 00:38:09,125 WHITEHILL: The trilithon has been referred to 641 00:38:09,250 --> 00:38:10,125 as the Stonehenge of the Pacific 642 00:38:10,333 --> 00:38:13,292 because of the massive stones 643 00:38:13,458 --> 00:38:14,750 that were used to construct this thing 644 00:38:14,917 --> 00:38:18,542 and because of their celestial orientation. 645 00:38:20,875 --> 00:38:23,333 NARRATOR: Tongan legends say that this trilithon 646 00:38:23,500 --> 00:38:26,208 points in the direction of Pulotu, 647 00:38:26,375 --> 00:38:28,583 the place of the gods. 648 00:38:29,625 --> 00:38:31,667 And while Western scholars believe 649 00:38:31,875 --> 00:38:36,458 the structure was erected by a Tongan king around 1200 AD, 650 00:38:36,667 --> 00:38:40,000 the locals say it was built by Maui, 651 00:38:40,167 --> 00:38:41,917 a giant demigod 652 00:38:42,083 --> 00:38:44,708 who transported the stones from Wallis Island, 653 00:38:44,833 --> 00:38:48,000 roughly 500 miles north of Tongatapu. 654 00:38:50,708 --> 00:38:53,292 PALAITA: Ha'amonga is the stone monolith structure 655 00:38:53,458 --> 00:38:57,708 that identifies our connection to Maui. 656 00:38:59,375 --> 00:39:02,417 Maui is considered a demigod. 657 00:39:02,583 --> 00:39:07,458 Maui is revered as someone that was able to bend the wind. 658 00:39:09,000 --> 00:39:10,500 SMITH: How Maui brought 659 00:39:10,667 --> 00:39:15,249 these huge monolithic stones there, 660 00:39:15,250 --> 00:39:16,500 the stories vary. 661 00:39:16,708 --> 00:39:19,667 Sometimes he magically flew them there. 662 00:39:19,875 --> 00:39:22,250 Sometimes he put them in a really big boat 663 00:39:22,458 --> 00:39:24,792 and rowed them there. 664 00:39:24,917 --> 00:39:26,917 HENRY: When talking about evidence 665 00:39:27,083 --> 00:39:29,333 for an advanced extraterrestrial civilization, 666 00:39:29,542 --> 00:39:31,749 we can point to the trilithon. 667 00:39:31,750 --> 00:39:34,542 This is supposed to have been created with an advanced race 668 00:39:34,708 --> 00:39:36,708 that has an ability to manipulate stone 669 00:39:36,875 --> 00:39:40,500 where they can levitate them and place them wherever they like. 670 00:39:42,125 --> 00:39:45,333 NARRATOR: Is the megalithic trilithon on Tongatapu 671 00:39:45,500 --> 00:39:48,542 a physical remnant of an extraterrestrial civilization 672 00:39:48,708 --> 00:39:53,500 that inhabited the region of Oceania thousands of years ago? 673 00:39:54,542 --> 00:39:57,458 Ancient astronaut theorists say yes, 674 00:39:57,625 --> 00:40:00,667 and they suggest that what makes this small Pacific Island 675 00:40:00,833 --> 00:40:03,750 even more intriguing is that it is known today 676 00:40:03,875 --> 00:40:06,333 as a UFO hot spot. 677 00:40:06,542 --> 00:40:09,833 I was on Tonga, uh, one New Year's Eve 678 00:40:09,958 --> 00:40:14,208 where people also described huge cigar-shaped airships 679 00:40:14,417 --> 00:40:20,042 hovering west of the island for hours. 680 00:40:20,250 --> 00:40:23,000 And everyone on the island saw it. 681 00:40:23,208 --> 00:40:25,292 So you have to wonder, 682 00:40:25,458 --> 00:40:28,500 is this all connected to extraterrestrials 683 00:40:28,667 --> 00:40:31,250 and the gods that are coming down? 684 00:40:31,375 --> 00:40:34,333 It would seem to be something like that. 685 00:40:35,375 --> 00:40:39,583 TSOUKALOS: Oceania is filled with ancient legends 686 00:40:39,708 --> 00:40:43,083 of strange-looking tikis, 687 00:40:43,208 --> 00:40:46,417 levitation technology, 688 00:40:46,625 --> 00:40:49,750 and gods interacting with the local people-- 689 00:40:49,875 --> 00:40:52,458 gods that have risen from the sea 690 00:40:52,625 --> 00:40:54,708 and descended from the sky. 691 00:40:54,875 --> 00:40:57,333 You have to ask yourself the question-- 692 00:40:57,500 --> 00:41:00,083 what was the inspiration for this? 693 00:41:00,292 --> 00:41:03,000 We say, "Oh, it's just all fantasy 694 00:41:03,208 --> 00:41:06,250 because our ancestors were great storytellers." 695 00:41:06,417 --> 00:41:07,750 Yes, they were. 696 00:41:07,958 --> 00:41:13,500 But every story begins with a kernel of truth. 697 00:41:13,667 --> 00:41:16,417 And the kernel of truth was 698 00:41:16,583 --> 00:41:19,833 a misunderstood physical visitation 699 00:41:20,000 --> 00:41:23,125 by flesh and blood extraterrestrials. 700 00:41:24,792 --> 00:41:27,667 NARRATOR: Are the remote islands of Oceania, 701 00:41:27,833 --> 00:41:30,458 with their long history of unusual phenomena, 702 00:41:30,583 --> 00:41:34,500 a hub of otherworldly activity? 703 00:41:35,500 --> 00:41:37,042 Did visitors from another planet 704 00:41:37,250 --> 00:41:40,417 descend on the region thousands of years ago 705 00:41:40,583 --> 00:41:43,458 and use a power known as mana 706 00:41:43,583 --> 00:41:46,250 to erect megalithic structures? 707 00:41:46,417 --> 00:41:51,125 And if so, might the statuary found throughout Oceania 708 00:41:51,250 --> 00:41:53,167 depict these alien beings? 709 00:41:54,417 --> 00:41:56,333 Perhaps each island in the Pacific 710 00:41:56,500 --> 00:41:59,417 is a piece of a gigantic puzzle 711 00:41:59,542 --> 00:42:01,042 that, when fit together, 712 00:42:01,208 --> 00:42:03,500 will reveal the truth 713 00:42:03,708 --> 00:42:06,458 of our extraterrestrial origins. 714 00:42:06,667 --> 00:42:08,167 CAPTIONING PROVIDED BY A+E NETWORKS