This is a guest post from Ralph Faggotter (also known as fingolfin).
This is a case study where you are invited to answer the question, \ world seems shrunk to the size of a small island in the vast ocean of space. How could the islanders so knowingly have destroyed the life-blood of their island and their own future ? How do you imagine the Easter Islanders behaved in those last few years before the last tree was felled ?
Photo credit:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/hotumatua/
\l Were Relatively unfavourable climate and Compare With Many Other Pacific islands for a number of Reasons, But at first it must-have Seemed wonderfully bountiful. The Population Grew and Became ESTABLISHED 12 Tribes with the island Being Divided up like a pizza in the traditional Polynesian way. Most Significantly, There Was no one supreme chief "INSTEAD Each tribe vied for status with Each Other. For the MOST part Fairly This Was Probably with considerable Harmonious Cooperation Between the Tribes Probably mediated by a counsel of the chiefs of the 12 Tribes Such as we see elsewhere But with intermittent power and territorial Struggle (this Absence of a single controlling chief played May Have a big part in the disasters Which follower). The Settlers Brought with Thems for non-Productive Seemingly Must Have Been considerable activity.
But over the Centuries, this non-Productive use of the forests, Combined with timber INCREASED due to Need for Population Growth, Would Have Gradually progressive resulting in deforestation, loss of habitat for a Variety of edible plants, birds and animals, loss of protection from sun and wind, loss of fire wood and erosion of soil. Natural reseeding
Would Have Been inhibited by a plentiful supply of seed-eating rats HAD FEW Which natural enemies on the island (probably only Humans and birds of prey).
The phenomenon of 'creeping normalcy' May Have Prevented from Anyone Noticing this decline for A Few Centuries-especially as the early statues Were comparatively small and the f Would Have ConsumedRelatively orests at a modest rate. But as the forests
shrunk in area and the annual percentage rate of depletion steadily increaser, at Some point, someone must have for the situation Realised That Was Not Sustainable and Said as much. The island is Not What Was That big and happening at one end Would Have Been Common Knowledge at the Other End.
By around the year 1600, the WAS last tree chopped down and There Were No More Until They Were reintroduced by Europeans Many years later.
Some Time Before the last tree cut down-WAS Perhaps This Was done in a moment of Spite, desperation, anger or vengeance - the Society Collapsed Into mass starvation, war and cannibalism.
What Might Have Happened in the lead up? One dog
Between 1400 and imagine 1500, some of the people muttering about the loss of forest and predicting that \E continues to secretly harbor Fears for the long-term sustainability of the forest. There Would Have Been
Powerful forces Opposed to the expression of Such heretical ideas. The power of the chiefs, the priestly caste and the gods / ancestors WAS Practically Both Integrated and theologically (as we see in MOST Societies).
There is a kind of unassailable philosophy That Which says the hereditary rights and powers of the chiefs Are the manifestation on Earth of the Will of the Gods. The ancestors of the chiefs (ie dead chiefs) take on god-like Powers. The role of the gods is to Ensure the Ongoing health, fertility and Prosperity of the people and the Ongoing bountifulness of the land and sea. The Priests interpret 'The Will of the Gods' Which somehow always the central Favourstralisation of power with the chiefs and the Priests.
The statue of the chief Become One of the key physical Manifestations of this power.
This all works very well with the people and the king's security service Remaining loyal and willing to Provide tithes of goods and services to the King and His retinue in return for guaranteed Ongoing Their Prosperity.
But this kind of system Initiate a competitive dog Easily positive feedback loop in Which Each Attempts to outdir His chief rival chiefs in Creating the Biggest and the best statue in His own Honour (the gods Have Each confirmed in this case That is Their wish) . Unfortunately
the gods too fickle and Can Be Sometimes, in Spite of all the standard observances, Prayers, Ritual, Human Sacrifice and statuebuilding, the Tribe will go through to bad patch in Which the fish disappear, the sea birds nest don't, the rain Does not arrive, pests or diseases or damage "the root crops Other mysterious and inexplicable bad things (like cyclones or tsunami ) Happen. When this Happens
the loyalty of the People and Their Faith in the System Can Be Sorely tested so That the chief will Need to Respond to the crisis in Some Way. One way is to accuse Some Already unpopular people of witchcraft, blasphemy, Giving out bad vibes / negative energy etc. Deliberately to cause the bad weather events - in other words a scapegoat. These Offenders Might Be Also coincidentally the very persons Who Had Been Advocating the building of Small statures in order to Avoid cutting down trees So Many. Another re
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