Reading time: 2 minutes – Spotted on The Independent
The ancient civilization of Easter Island collapsed after destroying the ecosystem of this lost land in the middle of the South Pacific. In any case, this is what one of the most famous historical stories in the world told about Rapa Nui – the indigenous name of the island – before new archaeological research turned everything upside down.
Because on the contrary, explains The Independent, this Polynesian population has prospered thanks to tenacity and innovation. Before disappearing, not after ecocide, but following attacks, diseases and European exploitation.
Modern archeology suggests that the population of the island, which has belonged to Chile since 1888, remained stable (around 3,000 inhabitants) until the arrival, in the middle of the 19th century, of whale hunters and slavers. and European colonizers, not only violent but also carriers of disease.
Advanced knowledge of horticultural agronomy
This civilization’s survival skills are believed to be due to advanced horticultural techniques, according to new studies led by researchers from three American universities as well as an indigenous researcher from Rapa Nui. All observe that the first inhabitants of Easter identified areas of the island suitable for intensive horticulture before devoting themselves to these techniques.
Among them, mulching and gardening, which allowed them to maximize food production. However, these techniques imply a certain knowledge of horticultural agronomy, affirm the archaeologists behind the research. The Polynesians probably landed on the island around 1,200 AD, bringing these skills with them.
Furthermore, these people resorted to riprap, being aware that the available natural soils did not contain the necessary nutrients. The latter were added to soils by crushing rocks then mixing the dust obtained with the earth.
Through rock gardening, people on this remote volcanic island were able to regulate soil surface temperature, wind speed and humidity. By dotting their gardens with small rocks and stones, as well as planting crops in the small spaces between these rocks, they better protected the plants from the wind and the sea salt that it carried.
Subsequently, European (particularly British) businessmen took control of the land, transforming it into a vast ranch populated by 50,000 sheep. Ultimately, it was the latter who destroyed Rapa Nui’s environment, and it was disease and brutal slavery that killed most of the natives. Today, the indigenous population has reconstituted itself and represents 45% of the 7,800 inhabitants of Easter Island.
