A NATURAL EXPERIMENT OF HISTORY: How Geography Molded Societies on Polynesian Islands
A Tragic Encounter: The Moriori and Maori
The Moriori people of the Chatham Islands experienced a devastating encounter with the Maori invaders from New Zealand in 1835. Despite outnumbering the Maori two to one, the pacifist Morioris chose not to resist violently, leading to their massacre and enslavement. The Moriori had reverted to hunter-gathering due to the island's inhospitable conditions for agriculture and maintained a society with simple technology and no organized leadership or weaponry. In contrast, the Maori developed more complex technology and social structures suited to intensive agrarian lifestyles, and they were experienced in warfare.
Polynesian Colonization and Natural Experimentation
The chapter explains extensive colonization of the Pacific Islands by Polynesians from around 1200 B.C., reaching various islands with different environmental conditions. These settlements are cited as "natural experiments" in how geography shapes human societies. Polynesians originated from a uniform culture, yet they adapted diversely across islands due to disparate environments, including climate, geological features, and isolation.
Environmental Effects on Polynesian Societies
Environmental factors led to significant differences in subsistence patterns, social structures, and technological advancements across the Polynesian islands:
Subsistence: Variability in island characteristics affected the balance between hunting-gathering and agriculture. Some islands, like the Chathams, forced inhabitants to revert to hunter-gathering, while others supported intensive agriculture and aquaculture, leading to higher population densities and more advanced economic activities.
Social and Political Organization: The level of social complexity and political hierarchy in Polynesian societies was closely tied to the environment's ability to support large, dense populations. More fertile and populous islands, like Hawaii and Tonga, developed highly stratified societies with complex political systems, with leaders that wielded considerable authority over extensive territories.
Technology and Material Culture: The available resources and environmental pressures influenced the types of tools and cultural artifacts produced. For instance, islanders on resource-poor islands like the Chathams had simpler tools, while those on resource-rich islands like New Zealand had access to a broader range of materials and developed more complex technologies.
Implications for Understanding Global Human Development
The study of Polynesian islands offers insights into how environmental conditions can steer the development of human societies on a relatively small and controlled scale. This "natural experiment" hints at broader patterns that might explain societal evolution on larger continents, where more complex and varied environmental factors come into play. The chapter suggests that understanding these localized adapations can help elucidate the broader dynamics of human societal development in response to environmental conditions.