You might enjoy the book 1491 a lot - it goes over what populations existed before contact, and even explores the period when people would make decisions between whether they would stay a colonial resident or join a native country - and vice versa. Turns out it was very much down to the person.
Of course, it also has the mind-blowing fact that we lost roughly 92% of the population of the Americas to disease - which is how the Europeans walked into the “New World” so easily, but also why they had to start importing slaves from Africa. The author frames it as if we just suddenly lost all of China - and laments the cultural exchange we’ve lost as a result.
10/10 read, would recommend if you like the topic.
I’ve got a lot of family in the Caribbean and it’s interesting how much of the flora and food culture has also been changed by resettlement.
Where my family is, the tradition cuisine is generally African or Indian influenced and many of the veggies and fruits were brought from these places. Even botanical gardens that are trying to create a wild food forest are doing so with mangoes, papaya, breadfruit, etc which were all Asian imports. When I go there, I’m often left wondering what these islands looked like in centuries past and what the cuisine was.
like the carribean monk seal that became extinct, the haiwain one is very endangered. i was looking at flora and fauna, so many went extinct when humans came to islands.( like giant and another solenedons which became extinct pretty recently), plus the related nosphentes which has its lineages traced back to the cretaceous.
It’s really unfortunate how humans seems to make every ecosystem homogenous. Sometimes intentionally killing things, sometimes bringing things that remind them of home (North America’s starlings and mute swans for example). I really try to maintain a garden full of plants native to my area to support local insect life, but it really feels like using a Nerf gun for a fire fight, as when I step off my property it’s invasive things everywhere.
islands are especially vulnerable to sudden changes. dodo, roridgeuz solitaire, and many other ground pigeons in the indo-pacific islands.granted carribeans had its own lineage of giant tortoises, but they were pretty much in decline since before european arrival and likely died out before it. the most recent islands was new zealand, just under 1000 years, most of the large birds went extinct.
You might enjoy the book 1491 a lot - it goes over what populations existed before contact, and even explores the period when people would make decisions between whether they would stay a colonial resident or join a native country - and vice versa. Turns out it was very much down to the person.
Of course, it also has the mind-blowing fact that we lost roughly 92% of the population of the Americas to disease - which is how the Europeans walked into the “New World” so easily, but also why they had to start importing slaves from Africa. The author frames it as if we just suddenly lost all of China - and laments the cultural exchange we’ve lost as a result.
10/10 read, would recommend if you like the topic.
I’ve got a lot of family in the Caribbean and it’s interesting how much of the flora and food culture has also been changed by resettlement.
Where my family is, the tradition cuisine is generally African or Indian influenced and many of the veggies and fruits were brought from these places. Even botanical gardens that are trying to create a wild food forest are doing so with mangoes, papaya, breadfruit, etc which were all Asian imports. When I go there, I’m often left wondering what these islands looked like in centuries past and what the cuisine was.
like the carribean monk seal that became extinct, the haiwain one is very endangered. i was looking at flora and fauna, so many went extinct when humans came to islands.( like giant and another solenedons which became extinct pretty recently), plus the related nosphentes which has its lineages traced back to the cretaceous.
It’s really unfortunate how humans seems to make every ecosystem homogenous. Sometimes intentionally killing things, sometimes bringing things that remind them of home (North America’s starlings and mute swans for example). I really try to maintain a garden full of plants native to my area to support local insect life, but it really feels like using a Nerf gun for a fire fight, as when I step off my property it’s invasive things everywhere.
islands are especially vulnerable to sudden changes. dodo, roridgeuz solitaire, and many other ground pigeons in the indo-pacific islands.granted carribeans had its own lineage of giant tortoises, but they were pretty much in decline since before european arrival and likely died out before it. the most recent islands was new zealand, just under 1000 years, most of the large birds went extinct.
Mann’s follow-up book 1493 is equally good.
Wow!!! Ok I’m definitely reading this.
Thanks so much!
Whatever you do, don’t read Guns, Germs and Steel. It’s just fucking nonsense.
Got it. 👍