The Statues That Walked: Unraveling The Mystery Of Easter Island (2011) - Plot & Excerpts
A plausible and hopeful alternative to Jared Diamond's Collapse hypothesis. The original Polynesian settlers seemed to have learned to be responsible stewards of meagre resources prior to European contact. Ergo Diamond's Earth to Rapa Nui analogy isn't completely lost, but instead of being defeatist this gives cause for cautious optimism ( and to quote Razib Khan: "Jared Diamond may be wrong on facts, but he has the right enemies") Visiting Rapa Nui (Easter Island) is on my short list of things to do. I enjoyed this account of what may have happened on Easter Island. Obviously there is no way to definitively know the island's complete history, but there is good archeological evidence that it was not a mere ecocide as depicted in Jared Diamond's "Collapse". The first half of the book deals primarily with facts and comparisons to other similar cultures. Later chapters have much more conjecture as they grapple with the culture of the island and the meaning of the statues. I learned many things from reading this, such as the devastation caused by polynesian rats, the practice of lithic mulching (using broken stones to cool and fertilize), and slavery (forced immigration by pirates) perpetuated by Peru in the late 1800s long after slavery had been abolished in South America. There were also interesting theories as to how the statues (moai) were transported, how the population was managed in regard to agricultural output, and the consequences of contact with the western world (not just the usual death from new diseases, but cultural shifts as well). Overall very interesting and a brief but dense read.
What do You think about The Statues That Walked: Unraveling The Mystery Of Easter Island (2011)?
Fascinating. Read while on Easter Island found it very thought-provoking.
—What2say
Drastically changes what we though we knew about Easter Island.
—lilsis3688
