Collapse of Easter Island
Alex Rosenberg and Jackson Appelt
Thesis
Deforestation
Deforestation helped lead to the collapse of the Rapanui civilization on Easter Island. The lack of timber affected how they died out, because wood was one of the major resources they depended on. They used wood to build the canoes with they fished with, build the houses they lived in, and make the tools they used in everyday life. They first started to clearcut the island but later tried to remedy this by planting more seeds, but unfortunately the polynesian rats that had lived in their boats when they first arrived there ate all the seeds they tried to plant. Due to the their dependence on timber the Rapanui civilization fell.
Starvation and Loss of Food
Civil War
Tribal wars were one of the major factors that lead to the collapse of the Rapanui civilization on Easter Island. With no food and resources, their was a constant struggle to survive. With this came war, small groups banding together to fight for resources. As groups gained dominance and took over others, they didn’t realize that as they got more resources they needed more to feed their people. As more tribes fought, and resources were used, people started to die out. Since war and its effects destroyed both people and resources, the Easter Island civilization eventually fell.
Sources
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Santo, Garrett, and Mark Rapoza. "Tropical Dry Forests of the Pacific - Easter Island."Tropical Dry Forests of the Pacific - Easter Island. UCLA, n.d. Web. 03 Mar. 2014.
Tyson, Peter. "The Fate of Easter Island." NOVA. Http://0-www.pbs.org.librus.hccs.edu/wgbh/nova/earth/fate-of-easter-island.html, 20 Apr. 2004. Web. 03 Mar. 2014