Changes

Over time a mysterious cult (the Moai carving cult) arose that led to the construction of many iconic [[sculpture|statues]] of elongated, abstract human heads made of stone and weighing many tons.  The making, moving, and erecting of these statues required a substantial fraction of the island's economic productivity.  Many trees were felled to serve as levers and rollers to move these stones to various sites and erect them.

Over time a mysterious cult (the Moai carving cult) arose that led to the construction of many iconic [[sculpture|statues]] of elongated, abstract human heads made of stone and weighing many tons.  The making, moving, and erecting of these statues required a substantial fraction of the island's economic productivity.  Many trees were felled to serve as levers and rollers to move these stones to various sites and erect them.

Eventually (circa 1700 AD), the Easter Islanders exhausted their forests, could build no more canoes, and overshot the food growing capacity of their garden plots. A famine and war broke out, and the population crashed to a couple thousand people at most.  This happened sometime between the first and second contact with Europeans.  Warfare had led to the deliberate toppling of all the statues by the time of second European contact.   

Eventually (circa 1700 AD), the Easter Islanders exhausted their forests, could build no more canoes, and overshot the food growing capacity of their garden plots. A famine and war broke out, and the [[population crash]]ed to a couple thousand people at most.  This happened sometime between the first and second contact with Europeans.  Warfare had led to the deliberate toppling of all the statues by the time of second European contact.   

In modern times, Easter Island is  deforested and depends on support from Chile as well as tourism for its local economy.

In modern times, Easter Island is  deforested and depends on support from Chile as well as tourism for its local economy.