Easter Island has always been a place with mysteries and myths. People never stopped showing their interest and curiosity to this small island which lied so far from every continent. How did its civilization collapse? How could the Easter Islanders build those giant statues -- the moai? Did aliens help them? By publishing his book Collapse, Jared Diamond offers an explanation to the public about mysteries on Easter Island. Within a few years, his theory has been accepted widely. However, we can see that there are obvious flaws in his evidence, as well as wrong use of diction which creates a biased tone. Furthermore, the new theories which came out proves that Diamond’s explanation lacks of supportive and concrete evidence.
To begin with, …show more content…
In his book, Jared Diamond concludes that Easter Islanders made stone tools to kill and fight, which led to the collapse of environment and ecology. “The clans competed peacefully by seeking to outdo each other in building platforms and statues, but eventually their competition took the form of ferocious fighting.” (Page 104, electronic version); “For instance, if mere thousands of Easter Islanders with just stone tools and their own muscle power sufficed to destroy their environment and thereby destroyed their society. “(Page 129, electronic version) However, Hunt and Lipo found some evidence to disagree with Jared Diamond. “Evidence from the ‘Ewa Plain had also shown that Polynesians had not chopped down the palms with stone tools to plant their crops. By the time Hawaiians settled this less-desirable part of the island, it had already lost its native forest and witnessed major ecological changes. The demise of the forest had meant loss of habitat for many birds and other native species. Their rapid extinction resulted.” (Ecological Catastrophe and Collapse: The Myth of “Ecocide” on Rapa Nui (Easter Island) Terry L. Hunt and Carl P. Lipo, page 12) In other words, Hunt and Lipo believe that the tools were made to grow corns, but not to kill or fight. According to Jared Diamond, he believes that Easter Islanders built canoes, which were cut off from a large number of trees, to transport the moai to the coast. “The method most convincing is Jo Anne Van Tilburg's suggestion that Easter Islanders modified the so-called and canoe ladders that were widespread on Pacific islands for transporting heavy wooden logs, which had to be cut in the forest and shaped there into dugout canoes and then transported to the coast. (page 110)” “Many of those 21 vanished species besides the palm would have been valuable to the islanders. Two of the tallest trees, Alphitonia cf.
To begin with, …show more content…
In his book, Jared Diamond concludes that Easter Islanders made stone tools to kill and fight, which led to the collapse of environment and ecology. “The clans competed peacefully by seeking to outdo each other in building platforms and statues, but eventually their competition took the form of ferocious fighting.” (Page 104, electronic version); “For instance, if mere thousands of Easter Islanders with just stone tools and their own muscle power sufficed to destroy their environment and thereby destroyed their society. “(Page 129, electronic version) However, Hunt and Lipo found some evidence to disagree with Jared Diamond. “Evidence from the ‘Ewa Plain had also shown that Polynesians had not chopped down the palms with stone tools to plant their crops. By the time Hawaiians settled this less-desirable part of the island, it had already lost its native forest and witnessed major ecological changes. The demise of the forest had meant loss of habitat for many birds and other native species. Their rapid extinction resulted.” (Ecological Catastrophe and Collapse: The Myth of “Ecocide” on Rapa Nui (Easter Island) Terry L. Hunt and Carl P. Lipo, page 12) In other words, Hunt and Lipo believe that the tools were made to grow corns, but not to kill or fight. According to Jared Diamond, he believes that Easter Islanders built canoes, which were cut off from a large number of trees, to transport the moai to the coast. “The method most convincing is Jo Anne Van Tilburg's suggestion that Easter Islanders modified the so-called and canoe ladders that were widespread on Pacific islands for transporting heavy wooden logs, which had to be cut in the forest and shaped there into dugout canoes and then transported to the coast. (page 110)” “Many of those 21 vanished species besides the palm would have been valuable to the islanders. Two of the tallest trees, Alphitonia cf.