Post #712443 by christiki295 on Sat, Mar 29, 2014 10:00 AM

Here is the Jared Diamond thread:

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=17462&forum=1&hilite=Diamond

Dr. Diamond provides the following explanation of the factors which caused the collapse of the pre-contact Rapa Nui culture on Easter Island*:

1. Geographic placement: It is southern location reduces the amount of rain it receives. EI, and the Hawaiian Islands Necker and Nihau, are the least forested of the Pacific because they do not receive as much rain as other Pacific Islands.

2. Lack of ability to trade. Due to the EI isolation,it did not have the opportunity to supplement its foodstuffs by trade. It also prevented EI from introducing other, large animals, like pigs, into their diet.

3. Lack of coconuts. Too cold for coconuts, which is a staple in much of the other Pacific islands.

4. Ruling Class inability or refusal to appreciate deforestation issues, while building bigger and bigger moai.
   Ironically, EI had the largest type of palm trees ever known to exist. However, these were consumed without preservation.

5. Lack of trees resulted in ability to maintain or make canoes necessary to fish off-shore, which had supplemented the diet, by, for example, dolphin. Also, there is only one beach, Akena, which could have allowed one to use fishing nets.

6. Lack of trees reduced the amount of birds which were part of the EI diet.

7. Funerary practices. Burning of the dead required inordinate amount of fuel to generate sufficient heat for cremation. Only much later did EI turn to burials.

8. After these factors became chronic, the commoners tore down each others moai (and maybe their own) as a way of revolting against the ruling elite. Canabalism resulted as one of the few ways of obtaining protein.