Rapa Nui burial customs

The back of the coastal ahu (ceremonial megalithic platforms) usually have a narrow level area before a steep rocky descent to the sea. Cremations took place here, utilizing the sea winds to fuel pyres and disperse the smell of rotting bodies. Spacial studies indicate the crematoria are associated with the west side of the ahu, suggesting a cosmological order to the positioning of specific ahu elements.

Source

HAMILTON, Sue (2008) "Rapa Nui landscapes of construction". Archaeology International, Vol.10, p. 49-53.