Research+Summary+of+Easter+Island's+Decline

=__Research Summary__=

Back

media type="custom" key="3729427" =Leaders and Events= Leaders Unfortunately on Easter Island there are no records of specific people not even the leaders. Most of what we know about them is from what their elders remember and scientific research and artifacts. Events · **Colonization** by Polynesians somewhat before 900 A.D. o Comprised of 20 – 80 people probably from Mangareva o Intentional expedition that included everything necessary to settle · **Moai Carving** 1250 to 1500 o Most Ahu were also carved in this period · **Environmental Collapse** around 1700 o Virtually no medium or large plants remained · **European Discovery** in 1722 on Easter Sunday the 5th o Dutch Explorer Jacob Roggenveen o Named for the date discovered · **Disease Outburst** 1722 to 1725 (Fischer, 53) o Caused by Arrival of Europeans o 2-3 thousand died · **War** between clans 1724 to 1750 (Fischer, 54-55) o Clan from the east tried to take over the island but north and west resisted o Island in chaos for an entire generation o<span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"> Main cause of island-wide famine ·<span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"> **Moai Toppling** before 1774 ended after 1838 o<span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"> Rapanui themselves pull over Moai, smashing them o<span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"> Done during down fall o<span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"> Likely due to anger at leaders and ancestors ·<span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"> **Developed “Writing”** near 1770 o<span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"> Most likely an imitation of Spanish script o<span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"> Not with letters, but more “hieroglyphs” ·<span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"> **Black-birding** first in 1805 peaked in 1862/3 ended in 1872 o<span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"> Means, recruiting people by tricking or kidnapping o<span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"> Taken to Peruvian Guano Mines o<span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"> Almost all died there do to new disease, over worked ect. o<span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"> Some were not kidnapped, but signed contracts ·<span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"> **European colonization** is attempted in 1863 (Fischer, 87) o<span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"> French missionary priests came to convert Easter Islanders o<span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"> Gave up in 1888 ·<span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"> **Collapsed** in 1872 with the death of all but 110 people =Climate and Geographic Factors=

Geographic Factors
·<span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"> One of the most isolated islands in the world ([|sacredsites]) ·<span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"> Situated east of central Pacific ·<span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"> 3600 km west of Chile ·<span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"> 2000 km east of the Pitcairn Islands (closest people) ·<span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"> 163 km2 Island with maximum altitude of 507 m  ·<span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;">  A triangle shape made by the three dead volcanoes ·<span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"> Volcanoes were extinct 200 000 years before Polynesian colonization ·<span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"> Three //Rano,// freshwater crater lakes ·<span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"> No other permanent sources of fresh water (streams occurred after rain) ·<span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"> Soil was nutrient filled and volcanic ·<span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;">

Climate
·<span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"> Mild climate defined as “sub-tropical” with low of 15 and high 27° C (Dimond, 83) ·<span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"> Prevailing winds are from north-east to south-west ·<span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"> Average rainfall is 1100 mm compared to 830 mm in Toronto ·<span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"> Wettest in April/May ·<span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"> Temperature too cold to support many crops that they brought ·<span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"> Direction of winds proves Polynesians as expert sailors ·<span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"> Considered dry, cool and windy from Polynesian perspective ·<span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"> Tsunamis have been known to hit the island and topple Moais over (most recent in 1960 from earthquake in chile)

=
===== ·<span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;">  social organization contains ranks and status (Fischer, 40) ·<span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"> first- //ariki mau// (islands top chief) was the leader of the island ·<span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"> second- //ariki// (nobles) everyone in the leader’s clan ·<span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"> third- //tuhunga// (experts) specialist in certain ares ex. master canoe builders or priests ·<span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"> fourth- //urumanu// (commoners) builders, farmers ·<span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"> Status was inherited from parents ·<span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"> Most people were commoners ·<span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"> Leadership was always passed down to the first born when married ·<span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"> //Ariki Mau// wielded absolute power ·<span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"> Priests were very powerful and feared by most ·<span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"> When captured in conflicts commoners became slaves ·<span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"> Structure changed somewhat after 1250 (Fischer, 54-56) ·<span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"> //Ariki Mau// lost power to //matatoa// – warrior leaders ·<span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"> Structure disintegrated with war, culture was lost

Religion
·<span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"> Not entirely clear (Dimond, 111) ·<span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"> During military coup the religion changed ·<span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"> New one worshipped creator god Maemake ·<span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"> Centered at Orongo Village ·<span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"> Developed new Rock carvings of women’s genitals, birdmen and birds ·<span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"> Included a competition to swim across the mile wide strait to collect bird eggs and bring them back intact, first person to do so became “Birdman of the year”.

=
===== ·<span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;">  Mostly ate sweet potatoes and chicken (Wright, 59) ·<span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"> Also ate rats, bananas, sugarcane, paper mulberry and taro ·<span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"> When first arrived, ate some of the many sea birds ·<span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"> Later when starving ate all the seabirds ·<span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"> Went fishing for seafood in reed rafts ·<span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"> Went deep sea fishing for dolphins and tuna in canoes (Dimond, 108) ·<span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"> As resources diminished, cannibalism became necessary ·<span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"> Without trees erosion occurred and removed nutrients needed for crops to grow ·<span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"> Fishing nets could not be made, all the trees and their bark were gone ·<span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"> Farming sweet potatoes wasn’t demanding, left them with free time ·<span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"> Agriculture was practiced intensely ·<span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"> They used stone composts to increase soil nutrition ·<span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"> Created dams and water diversion systems to irrigate taro ·<span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"> Raising chickens was done on a large scale, with 1 223 chicken houses 20 by 10 feet, and some 70 by 10 ·<span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"> Cannibalism occurred probably as a triumphant insult after battle, but happened rarely (Fischer, 55) ·<span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"> Stone windbreakers were built to prevent wind from drying plants out (Dimond, 92) ·<span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"> Extensive areas of farmland were covered in stones – confused? ·<span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"> Seems strange, but very advanced and innovative ·<span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"> Is necessary in windy dry climates like Easter Island & Isreal ·<span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"> Covering land in stones reduces amount of water that evaporates ·<span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"> Stops hard surfaces from forming, ones that increase rain runoff ·<span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"> Softens soil temperature fluctuations ·<span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"> Stops rain erosion ·<span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"> May slowly add nutrients from the stone to soil as it breaks down

·<span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"> Was covered in forests when originally discovered (Dimond, 103) ·<span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"> Mostly covered in Paschalococos disperta, now extinct it was one of the largeset palms in the world ·<span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"> The Paschalococos disperta seems to be a close relative to the Chilaen Palm, which grows 20 metres tall and a metre in diameter ·<span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"> But is estimated at being close to 2.5 meters in diameter and possibly 50 metres tall equal to any tree found in Eastern North America ·<span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"> Wood was the main energy source ·<span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"> Was used for fires, sea canoes, part of their huts and transportation of Moia ·<span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"> Was entirely used up, led to an environmental collapse, most extreme in history ·<span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"> Was mostly human based, but Polynesian Rat caused damage as well (Fischer, 60) ·<span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"> They ate all the palm tree nuts, so it couldn’t grow back

Plagues and Diseases
·<span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"> Disease spread easily due to high population density and few medicinal substances ·<span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"> It can be expected that dysentery, influenza whooping cough, mumps, and tuberculosis arrived with missionaries, but is not confirmed ·<span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"> The first European disease strikes in 1836, it’s smallpox ·<span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"> By returning kidnapped Rapanui, a second wave of smallpox hits in 1863 (Dimond, 112) ·<span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"> The combined diseases killed 1400 + people ·<span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"> Veneral diseases were attained by women having sex with whalers for trading goods in 1830 (Fischer, 75) ·<span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"> Almost every islander taken from the island died of Tuberculosis or Smallpox (89-91) ·<span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"> Second wave of smallpox occurs in 1863, kills all elders, and people with memory of the old culture ·<span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"> TB raged again in 1867 and killed Easter Island’s last //ariki mau// at age 13 (Fischer, 101) Practiced cremation until the trees were gone ([|Google Book Search])