rough draft kinda

Tiffany Davis

Dr. Sonia Apgar Begert

English 102

25^th November, 2014

The Collapse of Easter Island

Easter Island has long been a topic of study for scientists around the world. How the people arrived on Easter Island, where they came from, what they brought with them, how they lived, the culture of the island, the famous rock sculptures they built, and how/why their society collapsed. There are many aspects of Easter Island that have been researched thoroughly by numerous scientists and other academics. My research paper, however, will focus on the decline of Easter Island. Why the Island’s society collapsed, what the primary geographic causes of Easter Island’s collapse were and what the differing opinions and studies on those causes are. Studying Easter Island’s collapse is important because with todays’ environmental problems we need examples of societies that failed so that we can learn from their mistakes. With all the global warming concerns, we need to see where past societies went wrong, so that we do not perpetuate their mistakes.

Easter Island’s society collapsed due to deforestation and environmental degradation that was caused partially by environmental fragility but primarily by the island’s expanding population, agricultural methods, and cultural beliefs. I show this by first showing when Easter Island was settled, because without knowing when they started one has no time frame for how long it took to destroy their fragile environment. Then I will present my main argument and show that deforestation happened before the European arrival. This will help me then present and argue against my opposing argument that Easter Island collapsed due to the European’s arrival.

The original settlement date of Easter Island has been disputed by a handful of scientists. Terry L. Hunt states in his article, “Rethinking the Fall of Easter Island,” that there are not enough radiocarbon dates to show that Easter Island was settled before 1200AD, and thus it must not have been settled until 1200AD.

However, the majority of the scientific community have come to the consensus that Easter Island was settled no later than 800AD (Flenley and Butler, 101). This timeframe is supported by dating “… burned charcoal, annual sediment layers, swamp cores, appearance of rat bones, and declines in numbers of bones of native birds killed by settlers (Diamond, “Easter Island  Revisited,” 1693). Helene Martinsson-Wallin and Susan J. Crockford further expand on the question of when the Easter Islanders arrived in their article, “Early Settlement of Rapa Nui (Easter Island),” by further analyzing the soil samples, carbon dates, burned charcoal, and bones found on the island. The Islanders arrival date is important because it shows how much time the Islanders had to deforest their island and expand their population before the European’s arrived. Many opposing arguments that believe the Europeans were the cause of Easter Island’s collapse also believe that the Islanders arrived later than they did.

The Easter Islanders’ deforested their island almost entirely before the European’s arrived in 1700 AD (Diamond). They were cutting down trees for agricultural needs, burning trees for fuel and heat, and cutting down trees to move their giant stone statues. Replacement trees did not have enough time to grow.

 Jared Diamond was a crucial source for obtaining evidence that Easter Island collapsed due to deforestation as opposed to the European’s arrival as some would argue. Jarred Diamond is a professor of geography at the University of California, and a world renowned geographer whom has studied Easter Island extensively. With Diamond’s book, Collapse: How Societies Choose To Fail or Survive, which was published in 2006, and his article “Easter Island Revisited,” which was also published in 2006, he shows that deforestation began almost immediately after settlement of the island occurred, reached its peak around 1400AD, and was complete by approximately 1600AD (Collapse, 107). Thus, the Europeans did not arrive until after Easter Island was already deforested and doomed to collapse. More recently scientists such as John Flenley, Kevin Butler, and Paul Bahn have been supporting Diamond’s works by reinforcing his evidence by disproving the information used in an attempt to discredit him by Terry L. Hunt and Carl P. Lipo.

Another article that supports my argument that deforestation was primarily due to the people’s destruction of their environment, is written by David K. Foot. Foot’s article, “Easter Island; A Case Study in Non-sustainability,” was published in 2006, and is used by Foot as an example case study showing how deforestation was attributable to overuse and how it resulted in the collapse of Easter Island’s society. David Foot is a professor at the University of Toronto

More recent writers that support Diamond’s works are with their article, “Respect Versus Contempt for Evidence: Reply to Hunt and Lipo,” published in 2007. John Flenley and Kevin Butler are Emeritus professors from Massey University and Paul Bahn is an archaeologist with a PHD from the University of Cambridge. Their article is more argumentative and responds to opposing arguments from Terry Hunt and Carl Lipo. This article will be very useful for reinforcing my argument and I will use a lot of the information to dispute my opposing arguments. Flenley and Bahn wrote another article on their own that I will use parallel to the one they wrote with Butler, called “Conflicting Views of Easter Island,” also published in 2007. They thoroughly oppose Rainbird and Peiser’s articles that state Easter Island’s collapse was primarily due to visits from Eastern European’s which resulted in the spread of disease and slave trafficking. Flenley and Bahn argue that the community was collapsing even before those incidences due to the deforestation and other effects of the Islander’s inhabitance/practices on that Island. I will use this article to show opposing viewpoints regarding the collapse of Easter Island, and to support my argument that it was deforestation and the islander’s practices that resulted in the collapse of their society, not external factors. Another article that supports my argument that deforestation was primarily due to the people’s destruction of their environment, is written by David K. Foot. Foot’s article, “Easter Island; A Case Study in Non-sustainability,” was published in 2006, and is used by Foot as an example case study showing how deforestation was attributable to overuse and how it resulted in the collapse of Easter Island’s society. David Foot is a professor at the University of Toronto, and I can use his article to further support my argument. On the other hand, Christopher M. Stevenson and four other authors writes their article, “Prehistoric and Early Historic Agriculture at Maunga Orito, Easter Island (Rapa Nui), Chile,” published in 2006, which simply delineates scientific data regarding the Islander’s farming practices and circumstances such as deforestation that they had to adapt to. I can use this article to show one of the reasons the Islanders’ deforested their lands (for the sake of agriculture), and to show how the Islanders’ attempts to adapt though valiant were not sufficient enough for their population given their needs.

Rats were not the primary cause of deforestation as they arrived with the Europeans, and they did not eat the trees. They only ate the seeds, someone had to cut down that last tree. Disease was also not the primary cause of the collapse of Easter Island, as the diseases, slave trade, and other European impacts did not occur until after the Islanders had already destroyed their environment.

Rough Draft lab part 1

Tiffany Davis

Dr. Begert

English 102

20^th November, 2014

1.      What Is my Topic?

Easter Island has long been a topic of study for scientists around the world. How the people arrived on Easter Island, where they came from, what they brought with them, how they lived, the culture of the island, the famous rock sculptures they built, and how/why their society collapsed. There are many aspects of Easter Island that have been researched thoroughly by numerous scientists and other academics. My research paper however, will focus on the decline of Easter Island. Why did the Island’s society collapse? What were the primary geographic causes of Easter Island’s collapse? What are the differing opinions and studies on those causes? Was it the inhabitant’s destruction of their environment, or other factors, that led to the decline of Easter Island’s civilization? How was their culture related to the collapse of their society? Looking at the primary experts on Easter Island’s collapse and comparing the different arguments will help me show how and why Easter Island collapsed. The majority of my sources fit into three different categories, disease and rats, deforestation and environmental arguments, and the culture/history/origins of the Easter Islanders.

2.      What was the larger subject area?

I started out only knowing I wanted to research Easter Island. There are numerous different conversations regarding Easter Island, everything from cultural debates, soil analysis, the settlement of Easter Island, and the collapse of Easter Island.

3.      How did you narrow it?

Knowing that I had to make my paper argumentative I focused on the issues of Easter Island that created the most controversy. Those issues were the settlement of Easter Island (when and by whom) and the collapse of Easter Island (what were the primary factors). From there I determined that studying the collapse of Easter Island would be much more interesting to me and my readers, but that I also needed to show when the Islander’s arrived in order to establish the timeline for their collapse. I have decided not to enter into the debate over where the Islander’s came from as it is tangential information for my paper and I would not have enough space given the project parameters.

4.      How did you search for and collect information?

I first grabbed a couple of well-known books I had already read in high school by Jared Diamond. Then I used ProQuest an online database from the local library and Academic Search Premier in order to find scholarly articles. I used google once, but I was not pleased with the quality of sources it provided so I discontinued using it as a search engine. Once I had several sources from different databases I choose the key ones I found most relevant to my topic, printed out their bibliographies, and searched for their sources.  I also found more sources along the way by searching for the sources that were quoted within my articles.

5.      What are the main threads in the conversation of ideas?

a.      What are other people saying about the issue?

Some people are saying Easter Island collapsed due to the European’s arrival and introduction of rats, diseases and the slave trade. Opposing arguments state that Easter Island was already doomed before the Europeans arrived on Easter Island due to deforestation and the overall degradation of their environment.

b.      What are the main areas of investigation or argument?

The main arguments lie around the timeline of the collapse of Easter Island. Firstly, some argue that the Easter Islanders arrived at a later date than scientifically shown previously. Then some argue that Easter Island was not deforested by the time the Europeans got there, and thus the rats that ate the trees seeds were the cause of deforestation. There are also debates as to how many people lived on the island, which also influences the rate of deforestation.

c.       What are the main voices in the field (conversation), or the major groups, parties, or camps?

Jared Diamond, John Flenley, Kevin Butler, and Paul Bahn vs. Terry L. Hunt,  Carl P. Lipo, and Paul Rainbird.

6.      Is your draft at least 2,500 words in length not including works cited page?

a.      Yes or No?

No.

b.      If so, great! How many words?

None.

c.       If not what sort of added depth or detail do you still need to add?

I need to write the paper…

Chapter 21

Chapter 21 Using MLA style

How do I cite sources within the text of my document?
- This section lists all the various sources that one might use and need to cite.

How do I cite sources within the text of my document?
- This section gives basic formats for all of the different types of sources, and provides an example of citations for each category.

How do I prepare the list of works cited?
- This section gives more detailed examples of various citations and goes more in depth with the different sources and variations of types of sources.

This chapter concludes with an example of an MLA formatted research paper. It shows everything from what information to include in the header, to how to place in text citations. I can use this as an example for my own research paper so that I ensure I am following MLA formatting correctly. I can also use this chapter to help me cite any additional sources and to ensure I cited my previous sources correctly.

Literature Review Final

Tiffany Davis

English 102

11/6/2014

Literature Review

Easter Island has long been a topic of study for scientists around the world. How the people arrived on Easter Island, where they came from, what they brought with them, how they lived, the culture of the island, the famous rock sculptures they built, and how/why their society collapsed. There are many aspects of Easter Island that have been researched thoroughly by numerous scientists and other academics. My research paper however, will focus on the decline of Easter Island. Why did the Island’s society collapse? What were the primary geographic causes of Easter Island’s collapse? What are the differing opinions and studies on those causes? Was it the inhabitant’s destruction of their environment, or other factors, that led to the decline of Easter Island’s civilization? How was their culture related to the collapse of their society? Looking at the primary experts on Easter Island’s collapse and comparing the different arguments will help me show how and why Easter Island collapsed. The majority of my sources fit into three different categories, deforestation and environmental arguments, disease and rats brought by the Europeans, and the culture/history/origins of the Easter Islanders.

            My primary category focuses on the deforestation of the island and several sources fit into this category. Jared Diamond was a crucial source for obtaining evidence for my project. Jarred Diamond is a professor of geography at the University of California, and a world renowned geographer. With his book, Collapse: How Societies Choose To Fail or Survive, which was published in 2006, and his article “Easter Island Revisited,” which was published in 2006, I can show how Easter Island collapsed due to deforestation. Diamond’s works will be incredibly useful for my argument because his information is backed my scientific data. More recent writers that support Diamond’s works are John Flenley, Kevin Butler, and Paul Bahn with their article, “Respect Versus Contempt for Evidence: Reply to Hunt and Lipo,” published in 2007. John Flenley and Kevin Butler are Emeritus professors from Massey University and Paul Bahn is an archaeologist with a PHD from the University of Cambridge. Their article is more argumentative and responds to opposing arguments from Terry Hunt and Carl Lipo. This article will be very useful for reinforcing my argument and I will use a lot of the information to dispute my opposing arguments. Flenley and Bahn wrote another article on their own that I will use parallel to the one they wrote with Butler, called “Conflicting Views of Easter Island,” also published in 2007. They thoroughly oppose Rainbird and Peiser’s articles that state Easter Island’s collapse was primarily due to visits from Eastern European’s which resulted in the spread of disease and slave trafficking. Flenley and Bahn argue that the community was collapsing even before those incidences due to the deforestation and other effects of the Islander’s inhabitance/practices on that Island. I will use this article to show opposing viewpoints regarding the collapse of Easter Island, and to support my argument that it was deforestation and the islander’s practices that resulted in the collapse of their society, not external factors. Another article that supports my argument that deforestation was primarily due to the people’s destruction of their environment, is written by David K. Foot. Foot’s article, “Easter Island; A Case Study in Non-sustainability,” was published in 2006, and is used by Foot as an example case study showing how deforestation was attributable to overuse and how it resulted in the collapse of Easter Island’s society. David Foot is a professor at the University of Toronto, and I can use his article to further support my argument. On the other hand, Christopher M. Stevenson and four other authors writes their article, “Prehistoric and Early Historic Agriculture at Maunga Orito, Easter Island (Rapa Nui), Chile,” published in 2006, which simply delineates scientific data regarding the Islander’s farming practices and circumstances such as deforestation that they had to adapt to. I can use this article to show one of the reasons the Islanders’ deforested their lands (for the sake of agriculture), and to show how the Islanders’ attempts to adapt though valiant were not sufficient enough for their population given their needs.

While still a part of my deforestation category, I have two sources that are tangentially related to the focus of my paper. One is an article by David H. Good and Rafael Reuveny, “The fate of Easter Island: The limits of Resource Management Institutions,” published in 2006. Good and Reuveny are from Indiana University, and though they do not directly oppose my argument, they argue that Easter Island had resource management institutions and that despite these Easter Islands society collapsed anyway. I can use this article to show what resource management institutions they used but it will not help me make my overall argument. Contrary to Good and Reuveny’s article, James A. Brander and Scott M. Taylor argue in their article “The simple Economics of Easter Island: A Ricardo-Malthus Model of Renewable Resource Use,” published in 1998, that if Easter Island had resource management institutions their society might not have collapse. However, with my other sources in this category I intend to show that one of the causes of deforestation was population expansion beyond what the Island could support. This second article is in opposition to the evidence I have encountered showing that Easter Island did in fact have resource management institutions, and it could be an interesting piece of information for my readers.

            There are several articles that argue that disease and rats brought by the Europeans were the primary causes of population decline and deforestation. One source that argues this is Terry L. Hunt in his article, “Rethinking the Fall of Easter Island,” published in 2014. Terry L. Hunt is a professor at the University of Hawai’i. In his article Hunt attempts to discredit Diamond’s works on Easter Island and Hunt states that the collapse of Easter Island occurred much later than previously believed. I will use this article to show controversy regarding the cause of Easter Island’s collapse. In addition, Terry Hunt pairs with Carl P. Lipo to write two more articles, “Revisiting Rapa Nui (Easter Island); ‘Ecocide’ 1,” published in 2009, and “Chronology, Deforestation, and ‘Collapse.’ Evidence vs. Faith in Rapa Nui Prehistory,” also published in 2009. Carl Lipo is from California State University. In these two articles Hunt and Lipo continue to attempt to discredit Jared Diamond’s works while they argue that Easter Island did not collapse until the European’s arrival. I will use these articles above to clearly delineate the opposing argument and to structure my argument showing that deforestation was the primary cause of the island’s collapse. These articles are useful because they clearly groups together two different ‘sides’ in the debate regarding Easter Islands collapse, Hunt and Lipo align themselves with Rainbird, and they oppose Jared Diamond, John Flenley, and Paul Bahn as a group. In Paul Rainbird’s article, “A Message for Our Future? The Rapa Nui (Easter Island) Ecodisaster and Pacific Island Environments,” published in 2002, Rainbird states that we cannot know what happened prior to the European’s arrival, and that the disease and material goods that the European’s introduced to the Easter Islanders was one of the main causes of their societies collapse. Ironically, though Rainbird is grouped with Lipo and Hunt in terms of his argument, after citing them in his paper Hunt and Lipo attempt to discredit him, further validating my argument. The last source I have discussing the impacts of the European’s introduction is very neutral. Lorelei Koss gives mathematical examples in her article, “Sustainability in a Differential Equations Course: A Case Study of Easter Island,” published in 2011, to show how disease could have spread through Easter Island. However, Koss takes no argumentative stance, instead she simply uses simple differential equations to investigate possible sustainability issues as well as other issues the Islanders may have faced. This article will be useful as it provides no argument or biased opinion, it gives a few hard facts and some differential equations for the questions she cannot answer.

            My third category delves into the culture, history, and origins of the Easter Island people. Jared Diamond mentions when Easter Island began in his book Guns Germs and Steel: A Short History of Everybody for the Last 13,000 Years, published in 2005 and edited/republished in 1997. This book of Diamond’s is a little broad for my paper’s focus but it does provide a good starting point for determining when Easter Island was inhabited. J.D. Hughes goes much further with his article, “Easter Island: Model for Environmental History?” Hughes states when the inhabitants arrived, what they brought with them, and where they came from which is key to the collapse timeline. I will use this article primarily as a timeline of what happened when so that I can show deforestation was the main cause of the Island’s collapse. I will also use this article to show what the Islanders had in the beginning, because without knowing what they started with, my audience wouldn’t understand what they destroyed. Helene Martinsson-Wallin and Susan J. Crockford further expand on just the question of when the Easter Islanders arrived in their article, “Early Settlement of Rapa Nui (Easter Island),” published in 2001. They review soil samples, carbon dates, and other scientific data to prove the Easter Islanders arrived when they did. The Islanders arrival date is important because it shows how much time the Islanders had to deforest their island and expand their population before the European’s arrived. Many opposing arguments that believe the Europeans were the cause of Easter Island’s collapse also believe that the Islanders arrived later than they did.

            I have two sources that do not discuss when they arrived, but focus more on what the Islander’s did when they lived there. The first is an article written by Sue Hamilton, Mike Seager Thomas, and Ruth Whitehouse called, “Say it with Stone, Constructing with Stones on Easter Island,” published in 2011. Stone statues were an incredibly important part of Easter Island’s culture. I will use this article to show that the availability of pine trees increasingly declined from AD 1500 and was partially due to the introduction of these famous statues. This article does not go as in depth as I need, however, it also includes various maps of the island that I may use as a visual aid in my own document. Another author that writes more about the cultural aspects of the Island is Paul Trachtman who wrote, “The Secrets of Easter Island,” published in 2002. This article goes along with Jarred Diamonds arguments in terms of the information it provides, however, the only evidence it provides is supported through a verbally transmitted history. This article will not be very useful because it is about what could have been, not necessarily what was. I might use it to quote Trachtman’s personal interview with a surviving descendant because that could provide a useful insight to my readers. 

            Finally, for the conclusion of my third category, I have two sources that discuss the origins of the Easter Islanders. These two articles are tangential to my paper’s focus. First I have Ben Finney’s article, “Voyage to Polynesia’s Land’s End,” published in 2001. Finney discusses where the Easter Islanders moved from, which would be useful, however, it is congruent with the information I already have regarding where the Islanders originated from, and thus only useful to support what I already know. On the other hand, Thor Heyerdahl’s book The Kon-Tiki Expedition: Raft Across the South Seas, published in 1950, has been disproven. I may use this article to show more controversy on the subject, however, at this point it is not a central part of my argument. 

Chapter 13

Chapter 13 - Organizing

What organizing pattern should I choose?
- Chronology
- Description
- Cause/effect
- Process explanation
- Pro/con
- Multiple perspectives
- Comparison/contrast
- Strengths/weaknesses
- Costs/benefits
- Problem/solution
Keep in mind, what is my purpose

How can I arrange my argument?
- Label evidence
- Group evidence
- Use clustering - How to cluster pg. 222
- Use mapping - How to map pg. 224

How can I create an outline?
- Informational outline
- Formal outline
- Topical outline
- Sentence outline
Review your outline to ensure it meets your needs.

I can use this chapter to help me organize my outline and through that my paper. Following a prescribed pattern from above will help eliminate errors that could occur from coming up with a pattern on my own. I think for my paper I will use a chronology pattern to organize my paper and outline. For the collapse of Easter Island this is one of the more disputed issues.

lab on outline ect

What is my topic?

Easter Island has long been a topic of study for scientists around the world. How the people arrived on Easter Island, where they came from, what they brought with them, how they lived, the culture of the island, the famous rock sculptures they built, and how/why their society collapsed. There are many aspects of Easter Island that have been researched thoroughly by numerous scientists and other academics. My research paper however, will focus on the decline of Easter Island. Why did the Island’s society collapse? What were the primary geographic causes of Easter Island’s collapse? What are the differing opinions and studies on those causes? Was it the inhabitant’s destruction of their environment, or other factors, that led to the decline of Easter Island’s civilization? How was their culture related to the collapse of their society? Looking at the primary experts on Easter Island’s collapse and comparing the different arguments will help me show how and why Easter Island collapsed. The majority of my sources fit into three different categories, disease and rats, deforestation and environmental arguments, and the culture/history/origins of the Easter Islanders.

What do you think about your topic?

            My topic is important because it pieces together all the different articles regarding Easter Island and clarifies what really happened. There is quite a bit of controversy regarding the fall of Easter Island, and by taking all the various sources, ideas, viewpoints I hope to shed light on why Easter Island really collapsed.

What do you know about it?

            I know when Easter Island was colonized, what they brought with them, where they came from, their significant cultural practices (such as constructing and moving stone statues) that effected their everyday life, their agricultural practices, how and what they used their resources for, when and why deforestation and environmental degradation occurred, when the Europeans showed up, and I know what both sides think happened on Easter Island. I know how/why/when Easter Island collapsed.

What is your claim about the topic?

            Easter Island’s society collapsed due to deforestation and environmental degradation that was brought on by the Islanders’ lifestyles and culture.

What is your stance on the issue you are writing about?

            The Easter Islanders’ deforested their island. They were cutting down trees for agricultural needs, cutting down more trees due to population expansion, and cutting down trees to move their giant stone statues. Replacement trees did not have enough time to grow, and thus they cut down all the trees. The Europeans did not arrive until after Easter Island was already deforested and doomed to collapse. This is shown by the carbon dating of various burned trees, accounts of what Easter Island looked like upon the European’s arrival, and supported in numerous other ways throughout the scientific community I will be basing my argument off of.

Rats were not the primary cause of deforestation as they arrived with the Europeans, and they did not eat the trees. They only ate the seeds, someone had to cut down that last tree. Disease was also not the primary cause of the collapse of Easter Island, as the diseases, slave trade, and other European impacts did not occur until after the Islanders had already destroyed their environment.

Which sources back you up?

Diamond, Jared M. Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Survive. London: Penguin Books. 2006. Print.

            This book is the reason I choose this topic. Jarred Diamond is a professor of geography at the University of California, and a world renowned geographer. In Diamond’s book Collapse he studies how, why, and when various societies failed. In the section regarding Easter Island he discusses the history/geography of the island, the culture, deforestation, other causes of collapse, the European’s arrival, and why Easter Island was so fragile. This book will be incredibly useful because it covers all of the topics and some that I would like to incorporate into my paper. I will use it as a key reference, and as a tool to frame my argument.

Daimond, Jared M. Guns, Germs, and Steel: A Short History of Everybody for the Last 13,000 Years. London: Vintage, 2005, 1997. Print.

            In this book Jared Diamond examines numerous different societies in order to show how the modern world came to be. This book very broadly discusses so many different topics that I think will decrease its usefulness for my paper. I could potentially do a search online to figure out where/when Easter Island is mentioned in the book, but I may not be able to make use of it still due to its broadness.

Diamond, Jared. “Easter Island Revisited.” Science, New Series 317 (2006): 1692-1694. American Association for the Advancement of Science. JSTOR. Web. 16 Oct. 2014.

            Jared Diamond is a professor of geography at the University of California. This is one of several written works by Diamond that I will be referring to. In this particular article Diamond examines deforestation on Easter Island by showing how it occurred and what the results were. By identifying 78,000 bits of burnt wood from radiocarbon-dated ovens/fire pits Diamond is able to show what species of trees were exterminated and when. This article will be incredibly useful for my argument that the deforestation of the Island was one of the main causes of Easter Island’s collapse.

Finney, Ben. “Voyage to Polynesia’s Land’s End.” Antiquity 75.287 (2001): 172-81. Proquest Research Library.  Web. 7 Oct. 2014.

            Ben Finney has a Ph.D. in anthropology from Harvard University. Finney’s article discusses where the Easter Islander’s migrated from. Finney discusses all of the various options discussing the validity of each one. This article will not be useful for my paper, because I already have another article that states where the Islanders came from, and this article provides no other useful information.

Flenley, John, Kevin Butler, and Paul Bahn. “Respect Versus Contempt for Evidence: Reply to Hunt and Lipo.” Rapa Nui Journal 21.2 (2007): 98-104. Web. 23 Oct. 2014.

            This article is highly argumentative and is responding to Terry Hunt and Carl Lipo’s article, “Chronology, Deforestation, and ‘Collapse,’ Evidence vs. Faith in Rapa Nui Prehistory, published in 2007. John Flenley and Kevin Butler are Emeritus professors from Massey University and Paul Bahn is an archaeologist with a PHD from the University of Cambridge. In this article they address many key issues such as the role rats played in Easter Island’s collapse, deforestation, the reliability of evidence such as core samples, the arrival date of the Easter Islanders, and even provides a timeline of collapse stating all the key factors. This article will be very useful for reinforcing my argument and I will use a lot of the information to dispute my opposing arguments.

Flenley, John, Paul Bahn. “Conflicting Views of Easter Island.” Rapa Nui Journal 21.1
(2007): 11-13. Web. 23 Oct. 2014.

            John Flenley and Paul Bahn scrutinize Paul Rainbird and Benny Peiser’s articles regarding the causes of Easter Island’s collapse. John Flenley is an Emeritus professor in biogeography, and a retired professor from Massey University. Paul Bahn is an archaeologist with a Ph.D from the University of Cambridge. They thoroughly oppose Rainbird and Peiser’s articles that state Easter Island’s collapse was primarily due to visits from Eastern European’s which resulted in the spread of disease and slave trafficking. Flenley and Bahn argue that the community was collapsing even before those incidences due to the deforestation and other effects of the Islanders’ inhabitance/practices on that Island. I will use this article to show opposing viewpoints regarding the collapse of Easter Island, and to support my argument that it was deforestation and the islanders’ practices that resulted in the collapse of their society, not external factors.

Foot, K. David. “Easter Island; A Case Study in Non-sustainability.” Greener Management International 48 (2006): 11-20. Academic Search Premier. Web. 14 Oct 2014.

            David Foot is a professor at the University of Toronto. In his paper he uses Easter Island as an example case study of non-sustainability. Foot focus’s on how deforestation was attributable to overuse resulting in the collapse of Easter Island’s society. He believes studying Easter Island’s collapse can show us how to avoid repeating those mistakes. I can use the evidence in this article to support my argument that deforestation was primarily due to the people’s destruction of their environment.

Good, David H., and Rafael Reuveny. “The Fate of Easter Island: The Limits of Resource Management Institutions.” Ecological Economics 58.3 (2006): 473-490. Science Direct. Web. 16 Oct. 2014.

            David Good and Rafael Reuveny are from Indianna University. Good and Reuveny oppose James A. Brander and M. Scott Taylor’s article regarding resource management institutions on Easter Island. Some scientists such as James A. Brander amd M. Scott Taylor believe that Easter Island did not have these institutions and that if they had, their society would have been more successful. Good and Reuveny on the other hand state that Easter Island already had several resource management institutions, and that their society collapsed despite. I will use this to show what resource management institutions scientists can prove the Easter Islanders used, as well as to show more controversy on my subject.

Hamilton, Sue, Mike Seager Thomas, and Ruth Whitehouse. "Say It with Stone: Constructing with Stones on Easter Island." World Archaeology 43.2 (2011): 167-190. Academic Search Premier. Web. 21 Oct. 2014.

            This Source exams the stone statues constructed on Easter Island. Sue Hamilton, Mike Seager Thomas, and Ruth Whitehouse work at the institute of archaeology at University College in London. The three authors examine what kinds of stone the Islanders used, how they used them, and the meaning the statues had to the people on Easter Island. I will use this article to show that the availability of pine trees increasingly declined from AD 1500 and was partially due to the introduction of these famous statues. This article does not go as in depth as I need, however, it also includes various maps of the island that I may use as a visual aid in my own document.

Hughes, J.D. “Easter Island: Model for Environmental History?” Capitalism, Nature, Socialism 14.2 (2003): 77. Proquest Research Library. Web. 7 Oct 2014.

            J.D. Hughes is a professor emeritus of history at the University of Denver Colorado. In this article Hughes delineates how Easter Island began by stating approximately when the first inhabitants arrived and the key plants/animals they brought with them. He then gives a brief summary of their life on the island, describes the deforestation and its effects, and continues on to examine when the European’s arrived and what their effect was on the Island’s inhabitants. I will use this article primarily as a timeline of what happened when so that I can show deforestation was the main cause of the Island’s collapse. I will also use this article to show what the Islanders had in the beginning, because without knowing what they started with, my audience wouldn’t understand what they destroyed.

Martinsson-Wallin, Helene, and Susan J. Crockford. “Early Settlement of Rapa Nui (Easter Island).” Asian Perspectives 40.2 (2001): 244-78. Proquest Research Library. Web. 7 Oct. 2014.

            This article discusses the settlement of Easter Island. It reviews numerous scientific data in order to pinpoint the most accurate date. Helene Martinsson-Wallin works at the Kon-Tiki museum in Norway and Susan Crockford is employed by Pacific Identifications in British Columbia. I will use this article to accurately show when the Easter Islanders settled. Without knowing the date they began it would be difficult to determine a timeline of when the society began collapsing and why.

Stevenson, Christopher M., et al. "Prehistoric and Early Historic Agriculture at Maunga Orito, Easter Island (Rapa Nui), Chile." Antiquity 80.310 (2006): 919-936. Academic Search Premier. Web. 21 Oct. 2014.

            This article delineates the different farming/agricultural methods used on Easter Island, how they developed over time, and ways they adapted to circumstances such as deforestation. Christopher M. Stevenson is from the Virginia Department of Historic Resources, Thomas Jackson is from Pacific Legacy, both Andreas Mieth and Hans-Rudolf Bork are from the University of Kiel, and Thegn N. Ladefoged is from the University of Aukland. These five authors examine agricultural practices starting with the first settlers on Easter Island by examining soil profiles, carbon dating samples, and inspecting various remnants of their civilization throughout the Island. This article is not as useful for my argument as I thought it would be, though I can use this information to show how the Islanders adapted to their degrading environment.

What are the sources you disagree with?

Brander, James A., and M. Scott Taylor. "The Simple Economics of Easter Island: A Ricardo-Malthus Model of Renewable Resource Use." American Economic Review 88.1 (1998): 119-138. Business Source Premier. Web. 16 Oct. 2014.

            James Brander and M. Scott Taylor are from the University of British Columbia. In this article they propose that Easter Island would have been more successful if they had instituted resource management systems. They use the Ricardo-Malthus model of renewable resource use to help frame their argument. I will use this to show the opposing side of my argument that will state Easter Island already had resource management institutions in place.

Heyerdahl, Thor. The Kon-Tiki Expedition: By Raft Across the South Seas. London: Allen and Unwin, ltd, 1950. Print.

            Thor Heyerdahl attended Oslo University, and made a world famous trip from Peru to French Polynesia on a raft to make his argument that Easter Island inhabitants were related to Peruvians. Kon-Tiki is the book he wrote describing this journey and his findings. Though his work was discredited later by the scientific community, I can use this as an example of an expert that went wrong with their studies. I will compare some of my opposing writer’s works to his works to show why they will be discredited. Though his hypothesis was proved wrong, the voyage was spectacular, and he provides a good baseline to compare other professionals who make similarly bad arguments based off of not enough evidence regarding Easter Island.

Hunt, Terry L. “Rethinking the Fall of Easter Island.” The American Scientist. (2014). Web. 2 Oct. 2014.

            Terry L. Hunt is a professor at the University of Hawai’i. In this article he argues that Easter Island collapsed due to the European’s introduction of disease and rats. Hunt attempts to discredit Diamond’s works on Easter Island without backing up any of his claims with evidence. This article was written for popularity, not for its scholarly merits. I will be opposing his view points with my argument. I will use this article to show some of the controversy regarding Easter Island’s collapse.

Hunt, Terry L., and Carl P. Lipo. “Revisiting Rapa Nui (Easter Island); ‘Ecocide’ 1.” Pacific Science 63.4 (2009): 601-16. Proquest Research Library.  Web. 7 Oct. 2014.

            In this article Hunt and Lipo attempt to discredit primarily Jarred Diamond’s works on Easter Island, both his book Collapse and his article, “Easter Island Revisited.” Hunt and Lipo again argue that Easter Island’s collapse was not just related to over population and deforestation by the Islanders themselves, but that instead the collapse was primarily due to the European’s arrival and the rats that they brought with them. Hunt and Lipo also refer to Flenley and Bahn, however they state that their response to them is in their other article, “Chronology, Deforestation, and ‘Collapse:’ Evidence vs. Faith in Rapa Nui Prehistory.” This article is useful because it clearly groups together two different ‘sides’ in the debate regarding Easter Islands collapse. Hunt and Lipo align themselves with Rainbird, and they oppose Jared Diamond, John Flenley, and Paul Bahn as a group.

Hunt, Terry L, and Carl P. Lipo. “Chronology, Deforestation, and ‘Collapse:’ Evidence vs. Faith in Rapa Nui Prehistory.” Rapa Nui Journal 21.2 (2007): 85-97. Academia. Web. 23 Oct. 2014.

            In this article Hunt and Lipo argue that Easter Island was not inhabited until around 1200 AD and that rats were the main cause of deforestation. Hunt and Lipo attempt to discredit John Flenley and Paul Bahn’s works on Easter Island. Terry Hunt is from the University of Hawai’i and Carl Lipo is from California State University. I will use this article to determine how Easter Island was deforested, and in order to illustrate an opposing argument.

Koss, Lorelei. "Sustainability in a Differential Equations Course: A Case Study of Easter Island." International Journal of Mathematical Education in Science & Technology 42.4 (2011): 545-553. Computer Source. Web. 16 Oct. 2014.

            This article takes a mathematical approach to Easter Island by using simple differential equations to investigate sustainability issues. Koss is a professor in the department of mathematics and science at Dickenson College. In order to teach differential equations with a real world scenario, Koss delineates various potential causes of the collapse of Easter Island, and uses differential equations to analyze them. I will use this source to show how disease may have contributed to Easter Island’s collapse.

Rainbird, Paul. "A Message for Our Future? The Rapa Nui (Easter Island) Ecodisaster and Pacific Island Environments." World Archaeology 33.3 (2002): 436-451. Academic Search Premier. Web. 14 Oct 2014.

            Paul Rainbird is a professor at the University of Whales. Rainbird’s article discusses deforestation, rats, religious beliefs, stone statues, and then primarily how the European’s arrival effected the Easter Islanders. He states that we cannot know what happened prior to the European’s arrival, and that the disease and material goods that the European’s introduced to the Easter Islanders was one of the main causes of their societies collapse. This paper will not be very useful because it is unorganized and is not supported with reliable evidence. Flenley and Bahn whom are quoted in this article respond to Rainbird in their own article, “Conflicting Views of Easter Island.” The back and forth between all these authors will be very useful for framing and making my argument.

Trachtman, Paul. “The Secrets of Easter Island.” Smithsonian Magazine, Smithsonian (2002). Web. 2 Oct. 2014.

            Paul Trachtman was the editor of the Smithsonian magazine when he wrote this piece. His article describes the culture on Easter Island through interviewing a descendant, and he also examines the previous and current land disputes on the Island. This article goes along with Jarred Diamonds arguments in terms of the information it provides, however, the only evidence it provides is supported through a verbally transmitted history. This article will not be very useful because it is about what could have been, not necessarily what was. I might use it to quote Trachtman’s personal interview with a surviving descendant because that could provide a useful insight to my readers.

Chapter 19

Chapter 19 Designing Documents and Presentations
How can I design academic essays?
- Consider my purpose
- Consider reader expectations about design
- View an essay
How can I design multimodal essays?
- Consider my purpose
- Consider reader expectations about design
- Consider my design tools
- View a multimodal essay
How can I design articles?
- Consider my purpose
- Consider reader expectations about design
- View an article
How can I design web sites?
- Consider my purpose
- Consider reader expectations about design
- View pages from a web site
How can I design an oral presentation?
- Consider my purpose and audience
- Narrow my scope
- Create a barebones outline
- Think about language
- Design speaker's notes
- Engage with my audience
- View speaker's notes
How can I design multimedia presentations?
- Consider my purpose
- Consider audience expectations about design
- View a presentation
How can I design poster presentations?
- Consider my purpose and audience
- Consider audience expectations about design
- View a poster

Overall what I learned from this chapter is that when designing anything I need to consider my purpose, my readers/audiences expectations, and view an example. The information about designing essays and multimodal essays is the only pertinent information for this class. However, chapter 18 will be much more useful because it goes more in depth as to how to choose my design.

Chapter 18

Chapter 18 Understanding Design Principles

How to use design effectively:
- Balance
- Emphasis
- Placement
- Repetition
- Consistency
Design for a purpose
Design for Readers
- Help readers understand the organization of a document
- Help readers locate information and ideas
- Help readers recognize the function of parts of a document
Design to address genre conventions
What elements can I use?
- Fonts, line spacing, and alignment
- Page layout elements
- Color, shading, borders, and rules
- Illustrations
    - Photos and other images
    - Charts and Graphs
    - Tables
    - Other digital illustrations

I can use this chapter to help guide me with the physical presentation of my research paper in order to elicit the reaction I am looking for from my readers. Presentation can sometimes be everything, most people won't eat food that looks gross ect ect, and many wouldn't read a document that looked all jumbled and disorganized. The design of my document can also aid me in organizing my paper as I write it.

Annotated Bibliography 20 sources

Tiffany Davis

English 102

10/28/2014

Annotated Bibliography

Brander, James A., and M. Scott Taylor. "The Simple Economics of Easter Island: A Ricardo-Malthus Model of Renewable Resource Use." American Economic Review 88.1 (1998): 119-138. Business Source Premier. Web. 16 Oct. 2014.

            James Brander and M. Scott Taylor are from the University of British Columbia. In this article they propose that Easter Island would have been more successful if they had instituted resource management systems. They use the Ricardo-Malthus model of renewable resource use to help frame their argument. I will use this to show the opposing side of my argument that will state Easter Island already had resource management institutions in place.

Diamond, Jared M. Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Survive. London: Penguin Books. 2006. Print.

            This book is the reason I choose this topic. Jarred Diamond is a professor of geography at the University of California, and a world renowned geographer. In Diamond’s book Collapse he studies how, why, and when various societies failed. In the section regarding Easter Island he discusses the history/geography of the island, the culture, deforestation, other causes of collapse, the European’s arrival, and why Easter Island was so fragile. This book will be incredibly useful because it covers all of the topics and some that I would like to incorporate into my paper. I will use it as a key reference, and as a tool to frame my argument.

Daimond, Jared M. Guns, Germs, and Steel: A Short History of Everybody for the Last 13,000 Years. London: Vintage, 2005, 1997. Print.

            In this book Jared Diamond examines numerous different societies in order to show how the modern world came to be. This book very broadly discusses so many different topics that I think will decrease its usefulness for my paper. I could potentially do a search online to figure out where/when Easter Island is mentioned in the book, but I may not be able to make use of it still due to its broadness.

Diamond, Jared. “Easter Island Revisited.” Science, New Series 317 (2006): 1692-1694. American Association for the Advancement of Science. JSTOR. Web. 16 Oct. 2014.

            Jared Diamond is a professor of geography at the University of California. This is one of several written works by Diamond that I will be referring to. In this particular article Diamond examines deforestation on Easter Island by showing how it occurred and what the results were. By identifying 78,000 bits of burnt wood from radiocarbon-dated ovens/fire pits Diamond is able to show what species of trees were exterminated and when. This article will be incredibly useful for my argument that the deforestation of the Island was one of the main causes of Easter Island’s collapse.

Finney, Ben. “Voyage to Polynesia’s Land’s End.” Antiquity 75.287 (2001): 172-81. Proquest Research Library.  Web. 7 Oct. 2014.

            Ben Finney has a Ph.D. in anthropology from Harvard University. Finney’s article discusses where the Easter Islander’s migrated from. Finney discusses all of the various options discussing the validity of each one. This article will not be useful for my paper, because I already have another article that states where the Islanders came from, and this article provides no other useful information.

Flenley, John, Kevin Butler, and Paul Bahn. “Respect Versus Contempt for Evidence: Reply to Hunt and Lipo.” Rapa Nui Journal 21.2 (2007): 98-104. Web. 23 Oct. 2014.

            This article is highly argumentative and is responding to Terry Hunt and Carl Lipo’s article, “Chronology, Deforestation, and ‘Collapse,’ Evidence vs. Faith in Rapa Nui Prehistory, published in 2007. John Flenley and Kevin Butler are Emeritus professors from Massey University and Paul Bahn is an archaeologist with a PHD from the University of Cambridge. In this article they address many key issues such as the role rats played in Easter Island’s collapse, deforestation, the reliability of evidence such as core samples, the arrival date of the Easter Islanders, and even provides a timeline of collapse stating all the key factors. This article will be very useful for reinforcing my argument and I will use a lot of the information to dispute my opposing arguments.

Flenley, John, Paul Bahn. “Conflicting Views of Easter Island.” Rapa Nui Journal 21.1
(2007): 11-13. Web. 23 Oct. 2014.

            John Flenley and Paul Bahn scrutinize Paul Rainbird and Benny Peiser’s articles regarding the causes of Easter Island’s collapse. John Flenley is an Emeritus professor in biogeography, and a retired professor from Massey University. Paul Bahn is an archaeologist with a Ph.D from the University of Cambridge. They thoroughly oppose Rainbird and Peiser’s articles that state Easter Island’s collapse was primarily due to visits from Eastern European’s which resulted in the spread of disease and slave trafficking. Flenley and Bahn argue that the community was collapsing even before those incidences due to the deforestation and other effects of the Islanders’ inhabitance/practices on that Island. I will use this article to show opposing viewpoints regarding the collapse of Easter Island, and to support my argument that it was deforestation and the islanders’ practices that resulted in the collapse of their society, not external factors.

Foot, K. David. “Easter Island; A Case Study in Non-sustainability.” Greener Management International 48 (2006): 11-20. Academic Search Premier. Web. 14 Oct 2014.

            David Foot is a professor at the University of Toronto. In his paper he uses Easter Island as an example case study of non-sustainability. Foot focus’s on how deforestation was attributable to overuse resulting in the collapse of Easter Island’s society. He believes studying Easter Island’s collapse can show us how to avoid repeating those mistakes. I can use the evidence in this article to support my argument that deforestation was primarily due to the people’s destruction of their environment.

Good, David H., and Rafael Reuveny. “The Fate of Easter Island: The Limits of Resource Management Institutions.” Ecological Economics 58.3 (2006): 473-490. Science Direct. Web. 16 Oct. 2014.

            David Good and Rafael Reuveny are from Indianna University. Good and Reuveny oppose James A. Brander and M. Scott Taylor’s article regarding resource management institutions on Easter Island. Some scientists such as James A. Brander amd M. Scott Taylor believe that Easter Island did not have these institutions and that if they had, their society would have been more successful. Good and Reuveny on the other hand state that Easter Island already had several resource management institutions, and that their society collapsed despite. I will use this to show what resource management institutions scientists can prove the Easter Islanders used, as well as to show more controversy on my subject.

Hamilton, Sue, Mike Seager Thomas, and Ruth Whitehouse. "Say It with Stone: Constructing with Stones on Easter Island." World Archaeology 43.2 (2011): 167-190. Academic Search Premier. Web. 21 Oct. 2014.

            This Source exams the stone statues constructed on Easter Island. Sue Hamilton, Mike Seager Thomas, and Ruth Whitehouse work at the institute of archaeology at University College in London. The three authors examine what kinds of stone the Islanders used, how they used them, and the meaning the statues had to the people on Easter Island. I will use this article to show that the availability of pine trees increasingly declined from AD 1500 and was partially due to the introduction of these famous statues. This article does not go as in depth as I need, however, it also includes various maps of the island that I may use as a visual aid in my own document.

Heyerdahl, Thor. The Kon-Tiki Expedition: By Raft Across the South Seas. London: Allen and Unwin, ltd, 1950. Print.

            Thor Heyerdahl attended Oslo University, and made a world famous trip from Peru to French Polynesia on a raft to make his argument that Easter Island inhabitants were related to Peruvians. Kon-Tiki is the book he wrote describing this journey and his findings. Though his work was discredited later by the scientific community, I can use this as an example of an expert that went wrong with their studies. I will compare some of my opposing writer’s works to his works to show why they will be discredited. Though his hypothesis was proved wrong, the voyage was spectacular, and he provides a good baseline to compare other professionals who make similarly bad arguments based off of not enough evidence regarding Easter Island.

Hughes, J.D. “Easter Island: Model for Environmental History?” Capitalism, Nature, Socialism 14.2 (2003): 77. Proquest Research Library. Web. 7 Oct 2014.

            J.D. Hughes is a professor emeritus of history at the University of Denver Colorado. In this article Hughes delineates how Easter Island began by stating approximately when the first inhabitants arrived and the key plants/animals they brought with them. He then gives a brief summary of their life on the island, describes the deforestation and its effects, and continues on to examine when the European’s arrived and what their effect was on the Island’s inhabitants. I will use this article primarily as a timeline of what happened when so that I can show deforestation was the main cause of the Island’s collapse. I will also use this article to show what the Islanders had in the beginning, because without knowing what they started with, my audience wouldn’t understand what they destroyed.

Hunt, Terry L. “Rethinking the Fall of Easter Island.” The American Scientist. (2014). Web. 2 Oct. 2014.

            Terry L. Hunt is a professor at the University of Hawai’i. In this article he argues that Easter Island collapsed due to the European’s introduction of disease and rats. Hunt attempts to discredit Diamond’s works on Easter Island without backing up any of his claims with evidence. This article was written for popularity, not for its scholarly merits. I will be opposing his view points with my argument. I will use this article to show some of the controversy regarding Easter Island’s collapse.

Hunt, Terry L., and Carl P. Lipo. “Revisiting Rapa Nui (Easter Island); ‘Ecocide’ 1.” Pacific Science 63.4 (2009): 601-16. Proquest Research Library.  Web. 7 Oct. 2014.

            In this article Hunt and Lipo attempt to discredit primarily Jarred Diamond’s works on Easter Island, both his book Collapse and his article, “Easter Island Revisited.” Hunt and Lipo again argue that Easter Island’s collapse was not just related to over population and deforestation by the Islanders themselves, but that instead the collapse was primarily due to the European’s arrival and the rats that they brought with them. Hunt and Lipo also refer to Flenley and Bahn, however they state that their response to them is in their other article, “Chronology, Deforestation, and ‘Collapse:’ Evidence vs. Faith in Rapa Nui Prehistory.” This article is useful because it clearly groups together two different ‘sides’ in the debate regarding Easter Islands collapse. Hunt and Lipo align themselves with Rainbird, and they oppose Jared Diamond, John Flenley, and Paul Bahn as a group.

Hunt, Terry L, and Carl P. Lipo. “Chronology, Deforestation, and ‘Collapse:’ Evidence vs. Faith in Rapa Nui Prehistory.” Rapa Nui Journal 21.2 (2007): 85-97. Academia. Web. 23 Oct. 2014.

            In this article Hunt and Lipo argue that Easter Island was not inhabited until around 1200 AD and that rats were the main cause of deforestation. Hunt and Lipo attempt to discredit John Flenley and Paul Bahn’s works on Easter Island. Terry Hunt is from the University of Hawai’i and Carl Lipo is from California State University. I will use this article to determine how Easter Island was deforested, and in order to illustrate an opposing argument.

Koss, Lorelei. "Sustainability in a Differential Equations Course: A Case Study of Easter Island." International Journal of Mathematical Education in Science & Technology 42.4 (2011): 545-553. Computer Source. Web. 16 Oct. 2014.

            This article takes a mathematical approach to Easter Island by using simple differential equations to investigate sustainability issues. Koss is a professor in the department of mathematics and science at Dickenson College. In order to teach differential equations with a real world scenario, Koss delineates various potential causes of the collapse of Easter Island, and uses differential equations to analyze them. I will use this source to show how disease may have contributed to Easter Island’s collapse.

Martinsson-Wallin, Helene, and Susan J. Crockford. “Early Settlement of Rapa Nui (Easter Island).” Asian Perspectives 40.2 (2001): 244-78. Proquest Research Library. Web. 7 Oct. 2014.

            This article discusses the settlement of Easter Island. It reviews numerous scientific data in order to pinpoint the most accurate date. Helene Martinsson-Wallin works at the Kon-Tiki museum in Norway and Susan Crockford is employed by Pacific Identifications in British Columbia. I will use this article to accurately show when the Easter Islanders settled. Without knowing the date they began it would be difficult to determine a timeline of when the society began collapsing and why.

Rainbird, Paul. "A Message for Our Future? The Rapa Nui (Easter Island) Ecodisaster and Pacific Island Environments." World Archaeology 33.3 (2002): 436-451. Academic Search Premier. Web. 14 Oct 2014.

            Paul Rainbird is a professor at the University of Whales. Rainbird’s article discusses deforestation, rats, religious beliefs, stone statues, and then primarily how the European’s arrival effected the Easter Islanders. He states that we cannot know what happened prior to the European’s arrival, and that the disease and material goods that the European’s introduced to the Easter Islanders was one of the main causes of their societies collapse. This paper will not be very useful because it is unorganized and is not supported with reliable evidence. Flenley and Bahn whom are quoted in this article respond to Rainbird in their own article, “Conflicting Views of Easter Island.” The back and forth between all these authors will be very useful for framing and making my argument.

Stevenson, Christopher M., et al. "Prehistoric and Early Historic Agriculture at Maunga Orito, Easter Island (Rapa Nui), Chile." Antiquity 80.310 (2006): 919-936. Academic Search Premier. Web. 21 Oct. 2014.

            This article delineates the different farming/agricultural methods used on Easter Island, how they developed over time, and ways they adapted to circumstances such as deforestation. Christopher M. Stevenson is from the Virginia Department of Historic Resources, Thomas Jackson is from Pacific Legacy, both Andreas Mieth and Hans-Rudolf Bork are from the University of Kiel, and Thegn N. Ladefoged is from the University of Aukland. These five authors examine agricultural practices starting with the first settlers on Easter Island by examining soil profiles, carbon dating samples, and inspecting various remnants of their civilization throughout the Island. This article is not as useful for my argument as I thought it would be, though I can use this information to show how the Islanders adapted to their degrading environment.

Trachtman, Paul. “The Secrets of Easter Island.” Smithsonian Magazine, Smithsonian (2002). Web. 2 Oct. 2014.

            Paul Trachtman was the editor of the Smithsonian magazine when he wrote this piece. His article describes the culture on Easter Island through interviewing a descendant, and he also examines the previous and current land disputes on the Island. This article goes along with Jarred Diamonds arguments in terms of the information it provides, however, the only evidence it provides is supported through a verbally transmitted history. This article will not be very useful because it is about what could have been, not necessarily what was. I might use it to quote Trachtman’s personal interview with a surviving descendant because that could provide a useful insight to my readers.