The set of symbols known in the Rapa Nui language as rongorongo is the only indigenous system of writing known to have developed among Pacific Islanders. Only an elite minority of Rapa Nui people could ever read it, and they died out before mainland scholars could record their knowledge. What’s more, only 26 examples of rongorongo have survived. Is there any hope of ever deciphering this script? It would seem not, but the same was once said of Egyptian hieroglyphics … – Atlas Obscura