Easter Island
What happened to Easter Island?
Oliver Kirby - 14 November 2017Easter Island
My name is Oliver Kirby and I am a historian. For many years now I have been deeply invested in the study of South American and Polynesian history. The magazine ‘The Good Weekend’ approached me with an opportunity to write an article discussing the rise and expansion of Easter Island and then its decline. I will also be discussing if what happened to Easter Island is a microcosm of what might happen to the rest of the world.
Brief History Of Easter Island:
Geologically, Easter Island is one of the youngest inhabited territories on the earth. Its inhabitants, the Rapu Nui, have endured epidemics or disease, famines, slave raids, civil war, cannibalism, and have seen their population crash on more than one occasion. Easter Island is famous for its statues, the Moai. Easter Island is a Chilean territory located in the south eastern Pacific Ocean. It has a population of six thousand and has an area of 163.6 km2 .Easter Island is famous for its 200 stone statues. The Moai as they’re known were made by the local people from basalt stone picks and hard volcano ash. They were made to show remembrance to their gods and ancestors. I will be exploring what caused the downfall of Easter island.
Rise, expansion and fall of Easter Island:
Easter island has been called ‘the best historical example of a society collapsing’. From roughly 700 to 1400 Easter Island flourished; they had a stable
In the early 16th century, Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan named the largest ocean in the world ‘O Mar Pacífico’ meaning peaceful sea. What Magellan didn’t know is that his arrival would mark a fateful new era for the inhabitants of the pacific and forever disrupt whatever peace they had before. In “The Other One-Third of the Globe,” anthropologist Ben Finney explains the history the habitation of the Pacific islands. He looks at the complete human history of the islands, not just the colonial period, which was unusual but very refreshing.
The Once-ler was driven by the short-term benefit he saw in the truffula forest. The behavior of the Once-ler can be rationalized by the statement Garrett Hardin wrote, “As a rational being, each herdsman seeks to maximize his gain” (1244). While the Once-ler was driven by short-term benefit he was blinded to the long-term effects of his action. The people of Easter Island had similar circumstances. They too were blind to the long-term effects of their actions. The people saw great spiritual value in the Moai, as stated by PBS’s quote, “believed by most archaeologists to
Both Easter Island and The Lorax have many things in common , one similarity is overuse of resources. In the Lorax the once-ler invaded and cut down all the Truffula trees to make a thread for universal use. While on Easter Island the native people cut down all the palm trees to make canoes but to manly make boards to move there giant statues around that were made out of stone. Both the Lorax and Easter Island used up all their trees so production of their products had to stop, however they do have their differences.
is the cause of all of the problems that take place on the island. At
This paper will provide information on the volcanoes of Hawaii, where it is known to be the home of one of the world’s largest volcanic islands, merely second to Iceland. It is not just the beautiful landscapes and wildlife that spark the interest to this particular area, but the uniqueness of the Hawaiian volcanoes and islands themselves are what make the area so significant. There will be information spanning from the history of the origin of the islands to how Hawaii must adjust to the volcanic hazards in order to keep the area livable. With these ideas in mind, I will first address background information on the area and set the scene as to what makes this area so special. Then I will transition to the history of how the
In the article by Jared Diamond, many interesting theories are discussed about Easter Island’s history and decline. Diamond makes connections to the environmental challenges we face today and he compares the catastrophe of Easter Island to our current over consumption of natural resources. While this article makes for an interesting read, much of it is offered from a single perspective and little counter evidence is offered. The author writes in a way that could engage a non-academic audience who may not be interested in counter evidence, or proper referencing. The article lacks credibility due to its narrow scope and conversational diction. At the root of this discussion however, is the notion that the Rapa Nui people were
The Hawaiian Islands are well known for their beauty, tranquility, and unique culture that have shaped this state into what we see today. The special bond that the natives have formed between themselves and nature is not exactly one of a kind, but it is something that can truly be admired. Around approximately 300 AD, Hawaii was discovered by Polynesians who arrived by canoe from Tahiti. These migrants brought their polytheistic spirituality and formed a large intricate society with hierarchies consisting of many chiefs. Alongside the ruling of the chiefs, the newborn Hawaiians followed a strict belief system known as Kapu akua otherwise known as the “law of the gods”. The Kapu was a strict set of rules and restraints that dictated all
The Hawaiians were further depicted as "thieves" like the rest of the "people in Polynesia," and plagued with the barbaric accusation of committing infanticide. These so called "facts" were enough for the Euro-American forces to send out missionaries to regulate the Hawaiian people and take over their land and all their practices. (Stannard, 381- 417)
I found this chapter absolutely fascinating. For me the real insights were the role of the political system in the building of the giant stone statues that became Easter Island’s biggest mystery when it was discovered in 1722. There were hundreds of erect statues with no one there. Who built them? As Diamond explains, it was the dozen clans that controlled the island who built them. “The clans competed peacefully by seeking to outdo each other in building
The earliest people believed to come to the Hawaiian Islands were Polynesians from the Marquesas and they came between 500 and 750 A.D. Later, in 1000 A. D., the Tahiti came. The Tahiti brought over the belief in gods and social hierarchy, resulting in the hawaiian people following a Kapu system. In `1778, James cook, the first westerner to reach the Hawaiian Islands, paved the way for other explorers to come. James cook name the Islands the “Sandwich Islands” so show gratitude for the Earl of Sandwich. Cook dies a year later because of Hawaiian conflicts on Kealakekua Bay. In 1795, King Kamehameha led a campaign through the Hawaiian Islands, capturing and uniting all the islands under his monarchy in 1810. During his conquest, many ships anchored
With the basis being discoveries unveiled through archeology,pollen analysis,and paleontology, Jared Diamond dissects and explores the enigmatic history of the Easter Island civilization in his analytical article “Easter’s End”, written five years prior to the end of the 20th century. In the magazine piece, the isolated island is revealed to have once been a prosperous territory, indicating the depletion of resources and the extinction of wildlife are caused by the negligence of its earlier inhabitants. Considering this fact, the writer concludes with strong implications of the impending calamity that will befall modern society if humans do not learn from their past and take remedial measures.
The people of Easter Island came over to their new land, and recognized that it was ideal for them to settle. The land was lush; the sea was providing a bounty of fresh fish, and other seafood. The earth was dark brown, and very rich. Everything was just the way it needed to be to support a growing community of people.
When the Spanish realized that the climate of Aruba was too arid for cultivation and there was little evidence of the gold they were seeking, they essentially abandoned it to the native Caiquetios for approximately 150 years, and devoted their attention to their more lucrative possessions. Some natives were brought to Spain’s other islands, such as Hispaniola, to work as slaves, while others were converted to Christianity. Before long, however, the island became a concealed hide-away for pirates and buccaneers who preyed on ships transporting New World goods back to Europe. At Bushiribana on the northeast coast, the ruins of an old pirate castle remain today.
Over the next a few centuries, the explorers proceeded north of the Hawaiian Islands, east on Easter Island, and south to the Tuamotu Archipelago and the remaining Tahitian Islands. Raiatea referred to Truly as Hawaiki inevitably turned into the religious and cultural
The island of Samoa, also known as the “Treasured Islands” or the “Independent State of Samoa” is located between the island of Hawaii and New Zealand in the Polynesian area of the South Pacific. Samoan ancestors left their first mark on the island around 3,000 years ago. Researchers and scientists are still finding small traces of old pottery and belongings left behind. Samoans lived in villages, mainly in the coastal regions which included a vast and open area along with several residencies and huts used as meeting areas or cooking rooms. They later on evolved into using stones to