Module 11 Critical Reaction

When it comes to all the debates about how Rapa Nui was settled, nobody really seems to be asking whether it is even worth debating, there isn’t substantial evidence to support any theory. Those who say South Americans were there first and use the presence of sweet potatoes on the island as proof can be disproven with the science of birds and waves carrying seeds. Those who believe Polynesians were there first can be argued against with the presence of Native American styled tools on the Island. None of this is honestly relevant, we can’t learn anything from it, and knowing the answer wouldn’t be linked to anything else important in history. The important thing we can learn from the history of Easter Island is not in how the history began but rather in how it ended. There is a decent amount of evidence to show that the people of Rapa Nui were out of resources on their island such as the large decrease in population between settlement and European discovery as well as the absence of any palm trees that formerly covered the land. Rapa Nui is like the world in a snow globe, the island is a small-scale example of what happens to an environment with overpopulation and overconsumption of resources. Cannibalism isn’t necessarily something I would say is factual as the only evidence is from the words of Europeans but I will say that what happened on Easter Island definitely will happen to the rest of the world if the population continues to grow so quickly.