Adaptive Failure: Easter's End

                                          Adaptive Failure: Easter's End
                                                                                                   Jared Diamond, USA (1937 - )

Summary in English

This is a research based essay. The writer talks about how the virgin paradise like Easter Island turned into wasteland. It explores the past culture and civilization of the Easter Island. In addition, it deals with vanished civilization of Easter Island as an example to warn the modern human beings about the potential threat to our own civilization.

Easter Island lies in the pacific ocean about 2000 miles west of South America. This Island was discovered in 1722 by Jacob Roggeveen. According to Roggeveen, the Island was a Wasteland in 1722 because there were to forest, wildlife, bird life and natural resources, rather than only dry bushes, insects, domestic chickens and barren lands. The Island was occupied by 2000 Polynesian people. The first settlers of Easter Island ate the meat of sea birds, the land birds, rate and seals. Their only source of energy for cooking was the firewood of the jungle. In the course of time, the jungle area gradually diminished because of deforestation. The destruction of the forest had a serious impact on all the creatures dwelling in that island.

The Islanders were totally isolated, unaware that other people existed. They had no knowledge that their exploitation of nature would lead them to such condition. As the forest disappeared, life became more uncomfortable and complex. Springs and streams dried up, woods were no longer available for fires. And people also found it harder to fill their stomach. When they had nothing to eat for their survival, they began killing each other. They also revolted against the government. By around 1700, the population began to crash toward between one-quarter and one-tenth of its former number. Around 1770, they probably stared to destroy the statues of their enemies' camp. Thus, Easter's civilization got declined. As a result, the lost civilization of the Easter Island is very much painful to all mankind since people today are easily affected by the global issue.

Easter Island's most famous feature is its huge stone statues. DNA extracted from 12 Eastern Island skeletons was shown to be Polynesian. According to the researchers, the first colonists that stepped on Easter Island were Polynesians. They had gone there travelling at least 1400 miles in the good canoes. They found the Island as pristine paradise. At that time, there was dense forest, rich food, good wild life, many springs and other resources. Life was really comfortable gut with the growth of the population; the Islanders began to exploit the natural resources. Then, there was the decline of Easter's civilization.

Thus, most of the serious global issues like population growth, exploitation of nature, hunger, war are the present problems. So, if we do not learn serious lesson from the histories of vanished civilization of Easter Island, our own civilization and coming generations will be surely in danger. Anyway, this is our right time to think and do in order to save our existence and civilization.