Cause and Consequence — Collapse
For this module, the most notable historical thinking process is the “cause and consequence.” There was much confusion and mystery surrounding the collapse of Easter Island. The common explanation was that the inhabitants had caused their own downfall. The excessive use of timber had led to severe deforestation. A large portion of this timber was apparently used for transporting the large statues that we can see today. However, with a new perspective, that was not necessarily the case.
This ecocide narrative was challenged by Catrine Jarman, through her article, “What Really Happened on Easter Island?” In this article she expresses that the Easter Islanders were not (entirely) to blame for their collapse. There were several factors in the downfall of their society. According to Jarman, “The earliest Polynesian colonizers brought with them another culprit, namely the Polynesian rat. It seems likely that rats ate both palm nuts and sapling trees, preventing the forests from growing back.” So, even if the locals had knowledge that deforestation was taking place, there was nothing they could do since the rats destroyed any possibility of replenishing their source of timber. In addition, the cause for dwindling population on the island was caused by South American slavers. They would take a large portion of the population as slaves. They also “Introduced disease, destruction of property, and enforced migration by European traders further decimated the Natives and led to increased conflict among those remaining.” This ultimately stopped the statue carving, rather than the previous notion that the Easter Islanders destroyed themselves due to the intense warfare amongst their clans. Some sources even claiming that warfare, deforestation, and soil erosion led to cannibalism. Yet, there is no evidence that this took place.
Other sources, and even the locals hint that timber was not used as rollers for the large statues. Instead, they used a waddling technique with ropes and a couple dozen people. This is where the idea that the statues were “walking” comes from. This further reinforces that the locals were aware of deforestation, as they adapted and improvised to such means of transportation. They were a lot more sophisticated than we get credit for. Because of these factors, it is very hard to believe that they destroyed themselves.
The ultimate cause for the collapse of Easter island has shifted from deforestation and local conflict to the more sinister. Mainly South America, but also Europe had a role to play in the consequences that led to the end of statue carving and the fall of Rapa Nui culture.
