Transcript The Last People Alive: Pitcarin & Henderson Islands

The Last People Alive:
Pitcairn & Henderson
Islands
Hennie Kashiwa
9.22.05
Overview
► Only
habitable islands in Southeast Polynesia
 1,000 miles from Marquesas and Societies
► Two
volcanic and one reef
► Settled around 800 A.D.
► Co-dependent for survival
► Environmental breakdown lead to breakdown of
trade
► Breakdown of trade lead to the extinction of
islanders
Mangareva
►
►
Largest and can support greatest population
Pros:
 Water and land for agriculture
► Yams,
taro, breadfruit, bananas
 Trees for canoes
 Marine life
► Black
lipped oyster
 Coarse-grained basalt
 Hub of greater trade system
►
Cons:
 Lack of high-quality stone
Pitcairn Island
►
►
Small volcanic island—cannot support large population
Pros:
 Volcanic glass
► Sharp
tools
 Dense basalt
► Tools…
adzes, for example
 Trees for canoes
►
Cons:
 Steep terrain
► Difficult
to cultivate
► Little sea access
► No place to live
 Little marine life
► Underwater
geography unfavorable
Henderson Island
► Reef that has been pushed
► Somehow supported a tiny
► Pros:
up by geological forces
population
 Abundance of seafood and birds… that’s it. That and
sea turtles
 A good picnic spot for travelers
► Cons:




Little fresh water
No trees suitable for canoe-making
No usable stone
No soil for cultivation
Trade:
Exports
► Mangareva
 Black lipped oyster products
►Vegetable
peelers, fish hooks
► Pitcairn
 Basalt and volcanic glass
►Adzes,
cutting tools, oven stones
► Henderson
 Food, some agricultural products
Trade: Imports
► Mangareva
 Pitcairn: volcanic glass, dense basalt
 Henderson: sea turtles
► Pitcairn
 Mangareva: oyster products, people
 Henderson: ?
► Henderson
 Everything!
How do we know this?
► Marshall
Weisler
 Stone analysis
►Physical
attributes
►Chemical composition
 Carbon dating
►Waste
piles
 Charcoal
 Human/animal remains
It’s all downhill from here…
► Interisland
trade with the Marquesas
“motherland” peaked between 1100 and
1300 A.D.
► All trade stopped by 1500 A.D.
Henderson Island: Oh No!!!
► Complete
lack of trade lead to many
shortcomings:
 No stone for tools, cooking stones
►Bird
bones, giant clamshells used instead
 No wood for canoes
►Not
much they could do about this one
 No oysters
►Purse
shells used for limited hook making
Henderson Island struggles on… for
a bit.
► After
loss of trade, a
few dozen people
survived for nearly a
century
► Human presence lead
to over harvesting of
wildlife
 Six species of birds
extinct along with sea
creatures
► All
were gone by 1606
Pitcairn goes down
► HMS
Bounty arrives in 1790
 Finds island uninhabited
 People probably disappeared much earlier
►Massive
deforestation
Mangareva gets ugly
► Deforestation
 No trees to make canoes; fishing & trade impossible
 Erosion of topsoil
► Unable
► Too
to cultivate crops
many people, not enough to eat
 Carrying capacity met and exceeded
► Civil
war between east & west… it’s a 5 mile island!
 Breakdown in system of government
► Cannibalism
 Not only eating the freshly dead, but also buried corpses
So how did it all end?
► Wars?
Dwindling Population?
►A
lone woman survived on San Nicolas
Island for 18 years after everyone else died
Mass murder?
► Fighting,
cannibalism?
Mass suicide?
►A
choice of desperation
Just sitting around…
► Everyone
is related to each other…
inbreeding taboos prevail
Inbreeding…
► Ignoring
incest taboos, generations begin to
become defected… and die off
What can we learn?
► Globalization=
increasing worldwide
interdependence
 Oil, for instance
► What
would happen if trade broke down
with major sources of import?