Most of us are familiar with the story of the fall of Easter Island, which has been popularized by various authors and even portrayed on film. It supposedly occurred in the late 17th century as a result of rampant deforestation by the long time inhabitants of the island. The famous giant stone statues on Easter island are believed to be the principal reason for this deforestation, as it is assumed that armies of slaves on the island built the statues in the image of their rulers, transported the statues around the island and raised them up with wood from palm trees, until the last palm tree on the island was felled and a chain of events eventually led to societal collapse.

But is this the real story, or just a modern myth? According to Peiser, Hunt, and Rainbird the tragedy that befell the Easter Islanders was genocide at the hands of European explorers, whalers, colonists and slave raiders. The genocide has been well documented, and severe oppression of Easter Islanders actually continued into modern times. So how did the genocide of these people become a cautionary tale about the horrific results of environmental degradation?