Kate D's Blog

Kate D's Blog
Sunday, 30 November 2008 - Creative Problem Solving for a Sustainable Future - Waste Management : Here is my Creative Problem Solving for a Sustainable Future task. Feel free to read it, but please, no plagiarism. Just in case my picture still refuses to load, this is my diagram of the product chain and product stewardship. Thanks Kate K.D. blogged at 3:04 pm Tuesday, 21 October 2008 - Threatened Species: Threatened Habitat - The Bilby : The Greater bilby is an Australian mammal and is listed as threatened to endangered. They prefer to live in arid or semi arid areas and their habitat once covered more than 2/3 of Australia. Sadly, their population has drastically decreased, with only 20% of their original habitat remaining, shown on the map on the right. The main reason for their decline is introduced species; mainly cats, foxes and rabbits, but also livestock. The foxes and cats both prey on the small and relatively defenceless bilby and the livestock and rabbits compete with them for food and habitat. There used to be two species of bilby inhabiting Australia, the Greater and Lesser bilbies, but the introduction of these foreign species has already made the Lesser bilby extinct. Breeding programs and releases on the Shark Bay peninsula have helped increase the bilby populations, and a fox and cat proof fence (known as the feral-proof fence) has been created to protect the remaining bilbies and their newly released counterparts. To prevent the introduced species from entering this area, the fence extends several meters out to sea and underground, Though a few feral animals still remain on the protected side, the native animals are much more protected and have a better chance of survival. Western Australia also has several other breeding programs around the state, including one on the outskirts of Perth. In other states, efforts have been made to reintroduce bilbies into areas in South Australia and Queensland; the latter also creating a feral-free zone where they can live relatively unharmed. South Australia has employed effective breeding programs on an island free of introduced species and is now trying to reintroduce them into the mainland. So far, the results are looking promising, with the mainland colonies surviving well and the prospect of a few other release sights on the horizon. As well as breeding and release programs, the conservation of bilbies also includes sustaining their habitats and observing the wild populations, ensuring that the bilby will survive well into the future. These actions have impacted on many species other than the bilby, through preventing feral animals in certain areas so that not only bilbies, but other native animals at risk can also build up their populations again. Of course, this means that a food source for these introduced animals is denied and that land has to be set aside for these conservation areas that would have previously been used for farmland. The feral-proof areas also prevent the bilbies and other native animals from spreading out as well as protecting them, although some are released over time. These conservation areas also, while attracting tourists (in the case of the Shark Bay area), promote the bilby, making people more aware of its plight and the need to conserve these creatures. The land that would have had to have been set aside for the bilbies in the less remote areas (once again in the case of Shark Bay) could have been instead used for agriculture, which would have destroyed more of their habitat. Thankfully, conservation has won out and areas of land are dedicated to the restoration of this species. I think that what is being done so far to protect and restore the bilbies is a great start, but it would help if more people were aware of their plight. More extensive areas could be devoted to their conservation, with safe havens free of feral animals to begin the reintroduction process. It is good to see that at least a few bilbies have been reintroduced to South Australia, where they were previously extinct. Hopefully this will continue into the future and eventually, the bilby will have regained at least most of its former numbers. References http://www.environment.sa.gov.au/biodiversity/bilby.html http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/threatened/publications/bilby.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bilby http://www.sharkbay.org/default.aspx?WebPageID=200 Labels: School K.D. blogged at 12:43 pm Monday, 4 August 2008 - Heroes in History Project : Here is my biography of Florence Nightingale. Feel free to read it (its a Google Doc), but please don't plagiarise. Thanks Kate Labels: History, School K.D. blogged at 6:59 am Thursday, 24 April 2008 - Sustainable Societies in History Report : To view my report, please click here. Thank you! Labels: School K.D. blogged at 7:05 pm Thursday, 20 March 2008 - Why the Greenland Norse Collapsed : The first Norse settlers arrived at Greenland in 986 A.D. to find a cold, fragile, windy and very variable climate. Despite this, a few habitable patches existed, deep in the fjord systems, which the Norse chose to inhabit and establish farms. With few resources available, the Norse set up a colony and managed to survive for 450 years, before vanishing. There are many reasons for their disappearance, including damage to their environment, climate change, cultural/religious issues, hostile enemies, loss of trade and their response to the collapse. A lot of what has happened to the Greenland Norse could apply to many modern societies which could be potential collapses in the future. Other societies have established colonies on Greenland and also died out. So what made the Norse so confident that they could survive and why did they also collapse? Environmental Damage Effects of Farming Traditionally, the Norse have been farmers, especially dairy. But when they brought over their usual mix of cows, pigs, sheep, horses, ducks, geese and goats, they encountered a problem. Greenland's climate didn't allow quick re-growth of plants and therefore the land could be quickly stripped of its vegetation. Pigs were quickly ruled out as they destroyed too much of the plant cover and the ducks and geese did not survive the trip over. Horses and cows were kept at a minimum as they consumed a lot of food, and therefore most of the summer was spent growing and harvesting hay for the animals to eat during winter. The sheep and goat populations however, increased rapidly because unlike the other animals they could stay outside for more of the year because they could dig under the snow. This presented another problem though. During the winter, the plants were most susceptible as their growth was almost stopped due to the colder weather and therefore could not sustain the animals during the winter months. Deforestation When the Vikings first arrived in Greenland, they either burned the trees to make space for pastureland, used them for building materials or for firewood. This presented a problem later on because the trees were not able to re-grow as fast as they were being cut down, and thus there was a constant shortage of wood. This meant that they were unable to build traditional boats, smelt metal (charcoal is needed to obtain the right heat) and therefore they lost their military advantage over the Inuit and the efficiency of metal tools compared to bone or stone ones. This had also happened in the other Norse society of Iceland and the more extreme version on Easter Island, where they almost completely deforested their island for their religious values. They were forced to then use their precious remaining boats to go elsewhere to find lumber. Turf Cutting Since lumber was scarce in Greenland and rock not always practical, the Greenlanders’ used turf for the walls and roofs of most of their buildings. This destroyed prime pastureland and left the soil open to erosion, especially because the walls were up to 6 feet (1.8 metres) thick to keep out the cold and each house took around 10 acres (4.04 hectares) of pasture to be covered completely. These “turfed” walls also did not last very long, usually just over a decade, so the buildings needed “returfing”, destroying more of the fragile environment. Also the Vikings burned turf among other things for fuel because of the lack of trees, destroying pastureland that could have fed more animals through the winter. Erosion With the overgrazing of animals and the cutting of turf for buildings, patches of land soon became very bare because of Greenland’s slow regenerative capability. Without plant cover, the soil quickly dried out and was carried away by the constant winds, removing all the fertile topsoil required for regrowth. The crops and livestock quickly became unsustainable as there was not enough land to support that combination of animals. Climate Change Year by year changes A lot of the success of the farmers depended on the climate each year. A variation of one degree in the summer could make all the difference between being able to keep most of your animals and having to cull most of your herd because there will not be enough food to feed them through the winter. It also affected the hunting; the migratory seal species would not appear if the weather was too cold and there would be less food for the coming winter and several bad years could spell total starvation. Long Term Changes The Norse originally arrived during the Medieval Warm Period, when the climate was as good as it was going to get in Greenland. But when the Little Ice Age came around the 1300’s, the climate became colder and more variable. This caused a drop in hay production and animal numbers, and the sea more frequently became clogged with ice. The peak of the Little Ice Age between 1400 and 1420 may have contributed to the ultimate collapse of the stronger Eastern Settlement, where the seals might not have arrived in time, or not at all. Cultural/Religious Issues I have mostly used Jared Diamond’s framework, but I have added this in as I believe that his is not entirely applicable. I added this point in as the Greenland Norse culture played a big role in their collapse and not all of it was to do with their response, which as well as disease, falls outside Jared Diamond’s framework. Cultural Identity The Norse thought of themselves as three things; dairy farmers, Christians and Europeans, an ideal they had imported from Norway. This shaped a lot of their culture, for instance the farming techniques they brought over from their homeland and their insistence on raising cows when they took up much needed resources, couldn’t forage for themselves and consumed many times more hay than a sheep or goat, just because they were considered status symbols. In the minds of the Vikings, the more cows you owned, the wealthier you appeared to be, despite the obvious downfalls of raising them. One of the biggest mysteries of the Greenland Norse was why they didn’t eat fish; there was an abundant supply, their Norwegian counterparts had no problems with consuming it and it was also a staple food for the Inuit. This may have been just a way of differentiating themselves from other cultures or as a way to feel superior over other countries who did consume fish. Interdependence Much of the Greenland Norse society depended on the sharing of resources between Western and Eastern settlement, poor and rich farms outer and inner fjords and upland and lowland farms. Western settlement would send their valuable goods gained through hunting for transport overseas to Eastern settlement, rich farms would support the poor farms when they were running out of livestock to rebuild their herds, outer fjords would send seals and birds to the inner fjords for food and upland farms would send caribou meat down to the lowland farms. This meant that when something affected just one of these groups, it would affect the whole community. Authority Norse societies are traditionally hierarchical. In Greenland, the society was strictly controlled by the richest farms and when Christianity came, the church. When Christianity came to Greenland, it altered their perception of themselves; it gave them a sense of identity and encouraged co-operation between people and farms. But it also made them very conservative and prevented them from learning from the Inuit. Also, the rich farms and bishops had control of the society and often increased their own wealth and status, sometimes at the expense of the rest of the community. For example, the church often imported luxuries such as stained glass windows and pewter candlesticks, when the community could have imported more lumber, metal or grain instead, or the time spend on the Nordrseta hunt used instead for farming. This self-interest definitely contributed to the collapse of the society because if they had used the trade to help the community and not themselves, they could have ensured a longer survival on their remote outpost. Hostile Neighbours Inuit There is a lot of dissention between historians over whether the Inuit and Norse actually had hostile contacts with each other. From the evidence given, the more convincing and better proven argument is in favour of hostile contacts, and so I have included this in my report. The Norse around the world habitually despised the native settlers (or in this case, those more adapted to the climate) as pagans and it became nearly impossible for them to learn survivals skills or trade with them in times of need. There are few records of contact between the Norse and the Inuit, but a few surviving oral records, passed down through generations of the Inuit remain. They tell of periods of peace and war, not helped by the Norse culture. But there is speculation that the Inuit may have contributed to the demise of the culture before them, the Dorset people who disappeared after contacts with them. This is similar to the abandonment of the Vinland colony, where the natives forced them to leave the land because of constant attacks on the Viking settlements. Pirates There is another oral tale told by the Inuit about large white sails being seen on the horizon, which weren’t the usual Norse ships. These may have been pirates from Portugal, but it is unclear about what happened. Without any metal weapons or defences, they could easily have been overrun. There is no other evidence known to support this idea though, so it may not be valid. Loss of trade partners Europe Europe, especially Norway, was Greenland’s main trading partner. The Greenland Norse hunted walruses, polar bears and captured gyrfalcons which were all very valuable as trading items. Also the waterproof wool from their sheep was much sought after. But there was many hazards involved in trading between Greenland and Europe; the ocean crossing was very dangerous and expensive, sea ice would sometimes stop ships from getting through and it was 1 500 miles from Norway to the Greenland settlements. Greenland relied on this trade to give them news of the changes in Christianity, something of very high psychological value to them as they followed the European customs exactly. When the Black Plague went through Europe, it understandably made the Europeans unwilling to trade and when Norway, Sweden and Denmark were united by one king, Norway was ignored as the poorest state, thus ships were unwilling to make the risky crossing. Even though there had been a pact between Greenland and Norway to send two ships every year for trade, this was frequently ignored and the Greenlanders’ often went several years without seeing a ship. This reliance on other civilizations for trade is similar to the Mayans, whose collapse was partially because their trade partner on whom they relied on for supplementary food collapsed. Similarly, the Mayans exports consisted mainly of luxury goods, similar to the Greenland Norse’s, and although they imported different items, both were still essential for the societies’ survival. Response to collapse Although both settlements collapsed at different times, there are some similarities between them. With their environment no longer able to support the number of livestock and the climate becoming colder, the Greenlanders’ relied more on wild meat. When their last bishop died and there was no replacement sent, the respect for authority would have diminished and they lost faith in the leadership of the church and the rich farms. Because of their hierarchal society, the ruling class were unwilling to change and this conservatism prevented adaptation to their environment and resources. The Greenlanders’ may have been saved had they utilized the abundant supply of marine resources and didn’t just rely on the time consuming Nordrseta hunt for trade items. It is believed by some historians that there was a steady decline in the population of the Greenlanders because of emigration. Due to the few people living there, a loss of around ten people a year could have been disastrous for the weaker Western Settlement; there just weren’t enough people left to support the settlement and their way of life. At Western settlement, the people are believed to have had a quick evacuation, or they died at their location after eating all their remaining livestock and food. Without any fuel left, and unable to hunt during the winter, they probably starved and froze to death. At the larger Eastern Settlement, when the smaller farms had run out of livestock, fuel and food, they would have crowded onto the larger farms and consumed all the food there (the overcrowded lifeboat effect). Without any food, fuel, transport or trade, they would have also starved and frozen to death. Conclusion All five of Jared Diamond’s modes of societal collapse plus my own heading, apply to the Greenland Norse. With the environmental damage, climate change, cultural issues, (possibly) hostile enemies, loss of trade and the societies’ response (or lack of it) all taking their toll, the Greenland Norse society ceased to exist. Maybe had the Norse changed their ways or had wasted less resources paying for goods imported for the church and spent more time on sustainable farming or fishing they could have survived. Also, if the Norse had established better relations with the Inuit, they would not have had to deal with their constant attacks and could have traded during times of need. What can contemporary society learn from the collapse of this past society? Contemporary society can learn a lot from the collapse of the Greenland Norse. It warns of the risks of a delicate climate and to adapt to your environment, not the other way around. In Australia, much of our land is dry and barren and we are overtaxing our sparse vegetation through introduced species (such as sheep and rabbits) salinity caused by overgrazing, deforestation and loss of native animals due to introduced species and diseases. Much of Australia’s culture, like Greenland’s, was imported from England (or in the case of Greenland, Norway). So, like the Greenlanders’, we have found that some of the traditional values and attitudes do not always work in the new environment and we are now paying the price for our initial destruction of the native vegetation. Could Australia be the next in line for collapse like the Greenland Norse, or will our ruling class change with the times? Climate change is a big issue these days, with the governments of countries around the world trying to make a difference, but without losing their economy. This is similar to the way that the ruling class in Greenland would do what was best for their interests and not necessarily for the interests of the society (or in this case, the environment). If our societies are to survive, then we, unlike the Norse, will have to make some drastic changes to avoid collapse. References Books Diamond, J. (2005), Collapse, How Societies Choose to Fail or Survive, Penguin, USA “Greenland, History” World Book Encyclopaedia, (2007) Vol.8, World Book, USA Pg. 385 Websites “Greenland: What Happened to the Greenland Norse?” http://www.mnh.si.edu/vikings/voyage/htmlonly/greenland.html “The Greenland Norse: bones, graves, computers, and DNA”, (2002) http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=216319 “The Norse Settlers in Greenland – A Short History” http://www.greenland-guide.gl/leif2000/history.htm “Why did Norse Greenland Fail as a Colony?” http://www.york.ac.uk/teaching/history/pjpg/Greenland.pdf Image “The Danish-Greenlandic Environmental Cooperation”, (2001) http://glwww.mst.dk/udgiv/Publications/2001/87-7944-977-8/html/images/fig92.jpg Labels: Greenland Norse, School K.D. blogged at 8:50 am Wednesday, 19 March 2008 - Welcome : Hi and welcome to my blog. Sorry the comments aren't working, I am trying to fix the problem. K.D. blogged at 11:49 am Monday, 11 February 2008 - What History Means to me, so far... : To me, history means a recording of what has happened in the past. There may not be an actual written copy, but it can be alternately passed down through word of mouth, art (for example cave paintings in ancient times)or in songs and stories. History can teach us many things. It can stop us making mistakes that have already been made and it can tell you what life/the culture was like at that period of time. Every minute of every day is creating a history, it may not be written down, but it will be stored in people's memories and one day that memory may be passed on to the next generation to remember and cherish. Labels: School K.D. blogged at 2:25 pm
Welcome Hi and welcome to my blog. Feel free to view any of my assignments, but please, no plagiarism.	Blog Archive February 2008 March 2008 April 2008 August 2008 October 2008 November 2008
Design by... Me! (Kate D) This is my first attempt at a blogskin, so I'm still learning.... Link HTML code from RAHH(link to their blog) Blogskin tutorial from SixSeven.org	Posts Creative Problem Solving for a Sustainable Future ... Threatened Species: Threatened Habitat - The Bilby Heroes in History Project Sustainable Societies in History Report Why the Greenland Norse Collapsed Welcome What History Means to me, so far...
Links {Sheryl's Blog} {Nathan's Blog} {Leisha's Blog} {Jess N's Blog} {Jess B's Blog} {Mister Hanna's Blog} {/LINK}	My del.icio.us

Sunday, 30 November 2008 - Creative Problem Solving for a Sustainable Future - Waste Management :

Here is my Creative Problem Solving for a Sustainable Future task.
Feel free to read it, but please, no plagiarism.
Just in case my picture still refuses to load, this is my diagram of the product chain and product stewardship.

Thanks

Kate

K.D. blogged at 3:04 pm

Tuesday, 21 October 2008 - Threatened Species: Threatened Habitat - The Bilby :

The Greater bilby is an Australian mammal and is listed as threatened to endangered. They prefer to live in arid or semi arid areas and their habitat once covered more than 2/3 of Australia. Sadly, their population has drastically decreased, with only 20% of their original habitat remaining, shown on the map on the right.

The main reason for their decline is introduced species; mainly cats, foxes and rabbits, but also livestock. The foxes and cats both prey on the small and relatively defenceless bilby and the livestock and rabbits compete with them for food and habitat. There used to be two species of bilby inhabiting Australia, the Greater and Lesser bilbies, but the introduction of these foreign species has already made the Lesser bilby extinct.

Breeding programs and releases on the Shark Bay peninsula have helped increase the bilby populations, and a fox and cat proof fence (known as the feral-proof fence) has been created to protect the remaining bilbies and their newly released counterparts. To prevent the introduced species from entering this area, the fence extends several meters out to sea and underground, Though a few feral animals still remain on the protected side, the native animals are much more protected and have a better chance of survival. Western Australia also has several other breeding programs around the state, including one on the outskirts of Perth. In other states, efforts have been made to reintroduce bilbies into areas in South Australia and Queensland; the latter also creating a feral-free zone where they can live relatively unharmed. South Australia has employed effective breeding programs on an island free of introduced species and is now trying to reintroduce them into the mainland. So far, the results are looking promising, with the mainland colonies surviving well and the prospect of a few other release sights on the horizon. As well as breeding and release programs, the conservation of bilbies also includes sustaining their habitats and observing the wild populations, ensuring that the bilby will survive well into the future.

These actions have impacted on many species other than the bilby, through preventing feral animals in certain areas so that not only bilbies, but other native animals at risk can also build up their populations again. Of course, this means that a food source for these introduced animals is denied and that land has to be set aside for these conservation areas that would have previously been used for farmland. The feral-proof areas also prevent the bilbies and other native animals from spreading out as well as protecting them, although some are released over time. These conservation areas also, while attracting tourists (in the case of the Shark Bay area), promote the bilby, making people more aware of its plight and the need to conserve these creatures.

The land that would have had to have been set aside for the bilbies in the less remote areas (once again in the case of Shark Bay) could have been instead used for agriculture, which would have destroyed more of their habitat. Thankfully, conservation has won out and areas of land are dedicated to the restoration of this species.

I think that what is being done so far to protect and restore the bilbies is a great start, but it would help if more people were aware of their plight. More extensive areas could be devoted to their conservation, with safe havens free of feral animals to begin the reintroduction process. It is good to see that at least a few bilbies have been reintroduced to South Australia, where they were previously extinct. Hopefully this will continue into the future and eventually, the bilby will have regained at least most of its former numbers.

References

http://www.environment.sa.gov.au/biodiversity/bilby.html

http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/threatened/publications/bilby.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bilby

http://www.sharkbay.org/default.aspx?WebPageID=200

Labels: School

K.D. blogged at 12:43 pm

Monday, 4 August 2008 - Heroes in History Project :

Here is my biography of Florence Nightingale.

Feel free to read it (its a Google Doc), but please don't plagiarise.

Thanks

Kate

Labels: History, School

K.D. blogged at 6:59 am

Thursday, 24 April 2008 - Sustainable Societies in History Report :

To view my report, please click here.
Thank you!

Labels: School

K.D. blogged at 7:05 pm

Thursday, 20 March 2008 - Why the Greenland Norse Collapsed :

The first Norse settlers arrived at Greenland in 986 A.D. to find a cold, fragile, windy and very variable climate. Despite this, a few habitable patches existed, deep in the fjord systems, which the Norse chose to inhabit and establish farms. With few resources available, the Norse set up a colony and managed to survive for 450 years, before vanishing. There are many reasons for their disappearance, including damage to their environment, climate change, cultural/religious issues, hostile enemies, loss of trade and their response to the collapse. A lot of what has happened to the Greenland Norse could apply to many modern societies which could be potential collapses in the future. Other societies have established colonies on Greenland and also died out. So what made the Norse so confident that they could survive and why did they also collapse?

Environmental Damage

Effects of Farming

Traditionally, the Norse have been farmers, especially dairy. But when they brought over their usual mix of cows, pigs, sheep, horses, ducks, geese and goats, they encountered a problem. Greenland's climate didn't allow quick re-growth of plants and therefore the land could be quickly stripped of its vegetation. Pigs were quickly ruled out as they destroyed too much of the plant cover and the ducks and geese did not survive the trip over. Horses and cows were kept at a minimum as they consumed a lot of food, and therefore most of the summer was spent growing and harvesting hay for the animals to eat during winter. The sheep and goat populations however, increased rapidly because unlike the other animals they could stay outside for more of the year because they could dig under the snow. This presented another problem though. During the winter, the plants were most susceptible as their growth was almost stopped due to the colder weather and therefore could not sustain the animals during the winter months.

Deforestation

When the Vikings first arrived in Greenland, they either burned the trees to make space for pastureland, used them for building materials or for firewood. This presented a problem later on because the trees were not able to re-grow as fast as they were being cut down, and thus there was a constant shortage of wood. This meant that they were unable to build traditional boats, smelt metal (charcoal is needed to obtain the right heat) and therefore they lost their military advantage over the Inuit and the efficiency of metal tools compared to bone or stone ones. This had also happened in the other Norse society of Iceland and the more extreme version on Easter Island, where they almost completely deforested their island for their religious values. They were forced to then use their precious remaining boats to go elsewhere to find lumber.

Turf Cutting

Since lumber was scarce in Greenland and rock not always practical, the Greenlanders’ used turf for the walls and roofs of most of their buildings. This destroyed prime pastureland and left the soil open to erosion, especially because the walls were up to 6 feet (1.8 metres) thick to keep out the cold and each house took around 10 acres (4.04 hectares) of pasture to be covered completely. These “turfed” walls also did not last very long, usually just over a decade, so the buildings needed “returfing”, destroying more of the fragile environment. Also the Vikings burned turf among other things for fuel because of the lack of trees, destroying pastureland that could have fed more animals through the winter.

Erosion

With the overgrazing of animals and the cutting of turf for buildings, patches of land soon became very bare because of Greenland’s slow regenerative capability. Without plant cover, the soil quickly dried out and was carried away by the constant winds, removing all the fertile topsoil required for regrowth. The crops and livestock quickly became unsustainable as there was not enough land to support that combination of animals.

Climate Change

Year by year changes

A lot of the success of the farmers depended on the climate each year. A variation of one degree in the summer could make all the difference between being able to keep most of your animals and having to cull most of your herd because there will not be enough food to feed them through the winter. It also affected the hunting; the migratory seal species would not appear if the weather was too cold and there would be less food for the coming winter and several bad years could spell total starvation.

Long Term Changes

The Norse originally arrived during the Medieval Warm Period, when the climate was as good as it was going to get in Greenland. But when the Little Ice Age came around the 1300’s, the climate became colder and more variable. This caused a drop in hay production and animal numbers, and the sea more frequently became clogged with ice. The peak of the Little Ice Age between 1400 and 1420 may have contributed to the ultimate collapse of the stronger Eastern Settlement, where the seals might not have arrived in time, or not at all.

Cultural/Religious Issues

I have mostly used Jared Diamond’s framework, but I have added this in as I believe that his is not entirely applicable. I added this point in as the Greenland Norse culture played a big role in their collapse and not all of it was to do with their response, which as well as disease, falls outside Jared Diamond’s framework.

Cultural Identity

The Norse thought of themselves as three things; dairy farmers, Christians and Europeans, an ideal they had imported from Norway. This shaped a lot of their culture, for instance the farming techniques they brought over from their homeland and their insistence on raising cows when they took up much needed resources, couldn’t forage for themselves and consumed many times more hay than a sheep or goat, just because they were considered status symbols. In the minds of the Vikings, the more cows you owned, the wealthier you appeared to be, despite the obvious downfalls of raising them.

One of the biggest mysteries of the Greenland Norse was why they didn’t eat fish; there was an abundant supply, their Norwegian counterparts had no problems with consuming it and it was also a staple food for the Inuit. This may have been just a way of differentiating themselves from other cultures or as a way to feel superior over other countries who did consume fish.

Interdependence

Much of the Greenland Norse society depended on the sharing of resources between Western and Eastern settlement, poor and rich farms outer and inner fjords and upland and lowland farms. Western settlement would send their valuable goods gained through hunting for transport overseas to Eastern settlement, rich farms would support the poor farms when they were running out of livestock to rebuild their herds, outer fjords would send seals and birds to the inner fjords for food and upland farms would send caribou meat down to the lowland farms. This meant that when something affected just one of these groups, it would affect the whole community.

Authority

Norse societies are traditionally hierarchical. In Greenland, the society was strictly controlled by the richest farms and when Christianity came, the church. When Christianity came to Greenland, it altered their perception of themselves; it gave them a sense of identity and encouraged co-operation between people and farms. But it also made them very conservative and prevented them from learning from the Inuit. Also, the rich farms and bishops had control of the society and often increased their own wealth and status, sometimes at the expense of the rest of the community. For example, the church often imported luxuries such as stained glass windows and pewter candlesticks, when the community could have imported more lumber, metal or grain instead, or the time spend on the Nordrseta hunt used instead for farming. This self-interest definitely contributed to the collapse of the society because if they had used the trade to help the community and not themselves, they could have ensured a longer survival on their remote outpost.

Hostile Neighbours

Inuit

There is a lot of dissention between historians over whether the Inuit and Norse actually had hostile contacts with each other. From the evidence given, the more convincing and better proven argument is in favour of hostile contacts, and so I have included this in my report.

The Norse around the world habitually despised the native settlers (or in this case, those more adapted to the climate) as pagans and it became nearly impossible for them to learn survivals skills or trade with them in times of need. There are few records of contact between the Norse and the Inuit, but a few surviving oral records, passed down through generations of the Inuit remain. They tell of periods of peace and war, not helped by the Norse culture. But there is speculation that the Inuit may have contributed to the demise of the culture before them, the Dorset people who disappeared after contacts with them. This is similar to the abandonment of the Vinland colony, where the natives forced them to leave the land because of constant attacks on the Viking settlements.

Pirates

There is another oral tale told by the Inuit about large white sails being seen on the horizon, which weren’t the usual Norse ships. These may have been pirates from Portugal, but it is unclear about what happened. Without any metal weapons or defences, they could easily have been overrun. There is no other evidence known to support this idea though, so it may not be valid.

Loss of trade partners

Europe

Europe, especially Norway, was Greenland’s main trading partner. The Greenland Norse hunted walruses, polar bears and captured gyrfalcons which were all very valuable as trading items. Also the waterproof wool from their sheep was much sought after. But there was many hazards involved in trading between Greenland and Europe; the ocean crossing was very dangerous and expensive, sea ice would sometimes stop ships from getting through and it was 1 500 miles from Norway to the Greenland settlements.

Greenland relied on this trade to give them news of the changes in Christianity, something of very high psychological value to them as they followed the European customs exactly.

When the Black Plague went through Europe, it understandably made the Europeans unwilling to trade and when Norway, Sweden and Denmark were united by one king, Norway was ignored as the poorest state, thus ships were unwilling to make the risky crossing. Even though there had been a pact between Greenland and Norway to send two ships every year for trade, this was frequently ignored and the Greenlanders’ often went several years without seeing a ship. This reliance on other civilizations for trade is similar to the Mayans, whose collapse was partially because their trade partner on whom they relied on for supplementary food collapsed. Similarly, the Mayans exports consisted mainly of luxury goods, similar to the Greenland Norse’s, and although they imported different items, both were still essential for the societies’ survival.

Response to collapse

Although both settlements collapsed at different times, there are some similarities between them. With their environment no longer able to support the number of livestock and the climate becoming colder, the Greenlanders’ relied more on wild meat. When their last bishop died and there was no replacement sent, the respect for authority would have diminished and they lost faith in the leadership of the church and the rich farms.

Because of their hierarchal society, the ruling class were unwilling to change and this conservatism prevented adaptation to their environment and resources. The Greenlanders’ may have been saved had they utilized the abundant supply of marine resources and didn’t just rely on the time consuming Nordrseta hunt for trade items. It is believed by some historians that there was a steady decline in the population of the Greenlanders because of emigration. Due to the few people living there, a loss of around ten people a year could have been disastrous for the weaker Western Settlement; there just weren’t enough people left to support the settlement and their way of life.

At Western settlement, the people are believed to have had a quick evacuation, or they died at their location after eating all their remaining livestock and food. Without any fuel left, and unable to hunt during the winter, they probably starved and froze to death.

At the larger Eastern Settlement, when the smaller farms had run out of livestock, fuel and food, they would have crowded onto the larger farms and consumed all the food there (the overcrowded lifeboat effect). Without any food, fuel, transport or trade, they would have also starved and frozen to death.

Conclusion

All five of Jared Diamond’s modes of societal collapse plus my own heading, apply to the Greenland Norse. With the environmental damage, climate change, cultural issues, (possibly) hostile enemies, loss of trade and the societies’ response (or lack of it) all taking their toll, the Greenland Norse society ceased to exist. Maybe had the Norse changed their ways or had wasted less resources paying for goods imported for the church and spent more time on sustainable farming or fishing they could have survived. Also, if the Norse had established better relations with the Inuit, they would not have had to deal with their constant attacks and could have traded during times of need.

What can contemporary society learn from the collapse of this past society?

Contemporary society can learn a lot from the collapse of the Greenland Norse. It warns of the risks of a delicate climate and to adapt to your environment, not the other way around. In Australia, much of our land is dry and barren and we are overtaxing our sparse vegetation through introduced species (such as sheep and rabbits) salinity caused by overgrazing, deforestation and loss of native animals due to introduced species and diseases. Much of Australia’s culture, like Greenland’s, was imported from England (or in the case of Greenland, Norway). So, like the Greenlanders’, we have found that some of the traditional values and attitudes do not always work in the new environment and we are now paying the price for our initial destruction of the native vegetation. Could Australia be the next in line for collapse like the Greenland Norse, or will our ruling class change with the times? Climate change is a big issue these days, with the governments of countries around the world trying to make a difference, but without losing their economy. This is similar to the way that the ruling class in Greenland would do what was best for their interests and not necessarily for the interests of the society (or in this case, the environment). If our societies are to survive, then we, unlike the Norse, will have to make some drastic changes to avoid collapse.

References

Books

Diamond, J. (2005), Collapse, How Societies Choose to Fail or Survive, Penguin, USA

“Greenland, History” World Book Encyclopaedia, (2007) Vol.8, World Book, USA Pg. 385

Websites

“Greenland: What Happened to the Greenland Norse?” http://www.mnh.si.edu/vikings/voyage/htmlonly/greenland.html

“The Greenland Norse: bones, graves, computers, and DNA”, (2002)

http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=216319

“The Norse Settlers in Greenland – A Short History” http://www.greenland-guide.gl/leif2000/history.htm

“Why did Norse Greenland Fail as a Colony?” http://www.york.ac.uk/teaching/history/pjpg/Greenland.pdf

Image

“The Danish-Greenlandic Environmental Cooperation”, (2001)

http://glwww.mst.dk/udgiv/Publications/2001/87-7944-977-8/html/images/fig92.jpg

Labels: Greenland Norse, School

K.D. blogged at 8:50 am

Wednesday, 19 March 2008 - Welcome :

Hi and welcome to my blog. Sorry the comments aren't working, I am trying to fix the problem.

K.D. blogged at 11:49 am

Monday, 11 February 2008 - What History Means to me, so far... :

To me, history means a recording of what has happened in the past. There may not be an actual written copy, but it can be alternately passed down through word of mouth, art (for example cave paintings in ancient times)or in songs and stories.
History can teach us many things. It can stop us making mistakes that have already been made and it can tell you what life/the culture was like at that period of time. Every minute of every day is creating a history, it may not be written down, but it will be stored in people's memories and one day that memory may be passed on to the next generation to remember and cherish.

Labels: School

K.D. blogged at 2:25 pm

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