| [00:00.44] |
Rich volcanic soils nourished a forest of giant palms that was home to many unique species, |
| [00:06.82] |
including Easter Island versions of herons, parrots, rails and owls. |
| [00:12.03] |
Today, they are all gone. |
| [00:14.70] |
The people, ultimately, didn't do much better. |
| [00:17.10] |
The rise and tragic demise of the Easter Islanders, the Rapa Nui, is now legendary. |
| [00:22.71] |
This quarry once occupied the majority of the island's workforce, thousands of people, |
| [00:28.33] |
with each clan trying to carve and raise a bigger, grander figure than those of their neighbours. |
| [00:34.08] |
Vast amounts of timber would have been required to transport and erect the giant moai, and slowly but surely, the forests vanished. |
| [00:43.01] |
Eventually, there was no wood left even to build boats. |
| [00:46.60] |
without fishing boats, they would have been denied their main source of food, and their one means of escape. |
| [00:53.67] |
As resources dwindled, Easter Island society descended into chaos and warfare. |
| [00:59.88] |
The giant statues were pulled to the ground, possibly acts of sabotage between rival clans. |
| [01:05.58] |
|
