Ancient Tiny Island Was A Microcosm of Todays Problems

Rapa island lies isolated in the South Pacific, halfway between South America and New Zealand. Initially cooperative, its first settlers turned to violence when faced with the same pressures of environment and competition happening right now across the globe, the research suggests.

"Rapa is a very remote place, like another planet. When settlers arrived there, there was an immediate impact on the environment," said study leader Douglas Kennett. "With populations expanding, you can see the same thing on a larger scale today. It leads to social strife."

"Rapa becomes hyper-fortified about 300 years later," Kennett told LiveScience. "The island is 530 kilometers [more than 300 miles] from its closest neighbor; those fortifications weren't for outside invaders."
Environmental degradation and competition for resources led the people of Rapa to split into warring factions, Kennett argues in his research, which appeared in a recent issue of the journal Antiquity.


SOURCE:
LiveScience.com

I think this finding is very important.
Not only does it further teach us about the history of the island, but it also
can help to enlighten us to the problems that we've already started to face
today, and will start facing even more as time go's on and our poulation
increases with it.


Comments, Opinions?

It also dispels the myth of the "Noble Savage" who lives in peace and harmony with nature and each other until evil "white devils" come along and screw things up.

When the Polynesians arrived in Rapa, "there was massive erosion, clearing of the land…that had an impact," he said. "People also brought things with them, like different crops and rats, as well as their main staple of taro."

This is true of MANY native peoples, Native Americans included. They fought each other. The caused extinctions of certain animals. They polluted lakes and streams at one time.

It just shows that humanity is the same regardless of culture.

I've never heard the term "noble savage", nor have I ever heard
anyone say non-white people are more peaceful.

Of course I'm not saying your lying Skadi, your one of the great
members on this site, and would have no reason to.

More just saying I've never heard that before, maybe its my location
of residence.

"noble savage" on Wiki

Noble savage

We're human, they were human.
As humans, we've always had a problem looking at long term effects of our actions.