Did Polynesian voyagers visit Colombia? - General Tiki

A AlienTiki Member MAUI No Ka'oi Joined: Jul 08, 2005 Posts: 424	A AlienTiki Posted posted on Tue, Sep 27, 2011 2:31 AM On 2011-09-20 22:40, kraken wrote: An interesting question. More likely the taste for moai traveled from Colombia to the Pacific islands, not vice versa, because currents and winds down there make it almost impossible to sail eastward in the sort of craft believed to exist then. Thor Heyerdahl demonstrated fairly convincingly that travel from South America to the Pacific islands was far more probable. For a good short summary of Heyerdahl's experiments and reasoning, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thor_Heyerdahl It's already been established that polynesian traveled to South America. And here is an excerpt from that wiki you suggested Heyerdahl's theory of Polynesian origins never gained acceptance among anthropologists.[10] Physical and cultural evidence had long suggested that Polynesia was settled from west to east, migration having begun from the Asian mainland, not South America. In the late 1990s, genetic testing found that the mitochondrial DNA of the Polynesians is more similar to people from southeast Asia than to people from South America, showing that their ancestors most likely came from Asia.[11] Easter Islanders are of Polynesian descent.[12][13] Anthropologist Robert Carl Suggs included a chapter titled "The Kon-Tiki Myth" in his book on Polynesia, concluding that "The Kon-Tiki theory is about as plausible as the tales of Atlantis, Mu, and 'Children of the Sun.' Like most such theories it makes exciting light reading, but as an example of scientific method it fares quite poorly."[14] Anthropologist and National Geographic Explorer-In-Residence Wade Davis also criticised Heyerdahl's theory in his book The Wayfinders, which explores the history of Polynesia. Davis says that Heyerdahl "ignored the overwhelming body of linguistic, ethnographic, and ethnobotanical evidence, augmented today by genetic and archaeological data, indicating that he was patently wrong."[15] So Thor was wrong and Polynesians must know how to do the impossible, sail east. Aloha Eric [ Edited by: AlienTiki 2011-09-27 15:20 ]

On 2011-09-20 22:40, kraken wrote:
An interesting question. More likely the taste for moai traveled from
Colombia to the Pacific islands, not vice versa, because currents and
winds down there make it almost impossible to sail eastward in the
sort of craft believed to exist then. Thor Heyerdahl demonstrated
fairly convincingly that travel from South America to the Pacific islands
was far more probable.

For a good short summary of Heyerdahl's experiments and reasoning,
see
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thor_Heyerdahl

It's already been established that polynesian traveled to South America.

And here is an excerpt from that wiki you suggested

Heyerdahl's theory of Polynesian origins never gained acceptance among anthropologists.[10] Physical and cultural evidence had long suggested that Polynesia was settled from west to east, migration having begun from the Asian mainland, not South America. In the late 1990s, genetic testing found that the mitochondrial DNA of the Polynesians is more similar to people from southeast Asia than to people from South America, showing that their ancestors most likely came from Asia.[11] Easter Islanders are of Polynesian descent.[12][13]

Anthropologist Robert Carl Suggs included a chapter titled "The Kon-Tiki Myth" in his book on Polynesia, concluding that "The Kon-Tiki theory is about as plausible as the tales of Atlantis, Mu, and 'Children of the Sun.' Like most such theories it makes exciting light reading, but as an example of scientific method it fares quite poorly."[14]

Anthropologist and National Geographic Explorer-In-Residence Wade Davis also criticised Heyerdahl's theory in his book The Wayfinders, which explores the history of Polynesia. Davis says that Heyerdahl "ignored the overwhelming body of linguistic, ethnographic, and ethnobotanical evidence, augmented today by genetic and archaeological data, indicating that he was patently wrong."[15]

So Thor was wrong and Polynesians must know how to do the impossible, sail east.

Aloha
Eric

[ Edited by: AlienTiki 2011-09-27 15:20 ]

Post #608207 by AlienTiki on Tue, Sep 27, 2011 2:31 AM