Anth 453 Easter Island + Norse Greenland

first settler phenomena

The idea that being one of the first settlers comes w/ certain benefits, such as: the first pick of land, naming rights, etc. But, comes with much inherent risk because there’s no back up plan and no neighbor to help

Easter Island

island in Polynesia, settled by a chief 1500 years ago (sailed on double and triple hulled canoes w/ plants and animals)

moya/method of transportation

statues represent ancestors who carry mana from gods to people, 20-30 people “walked” statues to location and had to ask permission to cross through other territories

competition/conflict on Easter island

clans in constant social competition with one another to gain prestige and power

deforestation on Easter Island

Forests demolished by wood rats that arrived on vessels of colonizing poeple’s, led to the loss of canoes for fishing

Socio-political/religion on Easter Island

saw the world as holistic, the gods maintained the sky, land, sea, and underworld, ancestors acted as go-between from gods to people

fish/reef on Easter Island

harpoons and gear specialized for fish species, hooks were made from deceased fishermen, no offshore reef present which led to a limited marine ecosystem

Norse

came with Eric the Red from Iceland in 982, settled in 986, died out in 1500

Greenland/Iceland-why colonize?

colonized to expand territory during the Viking Diaspora, as well as the first settler phenomenon 

Eric the Red

He was kicked out of Iceland for manslaughter, settled in Greenland

Leif Ericson

He introduced Christianity to Greenland through a Norwegian missionary, was the first European in North America (Nova Scotia) and was kicked out by Indigenous peoples 

Trans-Atlantic trade for Norse

Vikings’ relief on European products to support the economy (ivory, salted cod, etc.)

Walrus in Greenland

Vikings attempted to trade walrus ivory w/ Europe for grains and other products, but Asain market eventually took over

Thule Inuit

Indigenous greenlanders who adapted to the climate (hide cloths, snow goggles) and nearly perfected hunting techniques (spring/fall spend on land to hunt caribou, winter on ice flows for seals, lat winter ice flows for ringed seals), vikings saw them as less then human

Thule vs Norse technology

thule had hide clothes, snow goggles, and specialized fishing and hunting gear that the Norse never adapted

Grim end for Norse

Norse arrived in the warm period, died out in the Little Ice Age. Never adopted Thule Inuit technology, relied too heavily on Europe to support the economy, and didn’t cease attempts to trade ivory, tried to map Iceland onto Greenland, which disrupted agriculture. Didn’t know the tipping point of the land.

church vs land holding

Land holding grew smaller as population grew, the church eventually held the most land

Basic economy of Norse

Vikings and animals kept inside houses during Winter, stored hay and fattened animals

6 cognitive maladies of the Norse

1. false analogy

2. insufficient detail

3. short observation series

4. managerial detachment

5. reactions out of phase

6. someone else’s problem

false anaology

belief that Greenland’s ecosystem was similar to Europe/Iceland

Insufficient detail

Vikings didn’t know enough about the environment to know tipping points

Short observational series

the managers lack a sufficient long memory of events to track or predict variation in key environmental factors over a multigenerational period and are subject to chronic inability to separate short-term and long-term processes

managerial detachment

The managers are socially and spatially distant from ag producers who carry out managerial decisions at the lowest level and who are normally in close contact with local-scale environmental feedback (chiefs —> clergy)

Reactions out of phase

the managers’ attempts to avert unfavorable impacts are too little and too late, or apply the wrong remedy

Someone else’s problem

Managers at many levels may perceive a potential environmental problem but don’t feel an obligation to take action b/c their own particular short-term interests aren’t immediately threatened