What was Thor Heyerdahl theory?

The theory, published in full in Heyerdahl’s 1952 book American Indians in the Pacific: The theory behind the Kon-Tiki expedition (henceforth American Indians), claimed that the first settlers of the Pacific island world, in stark contrast to established scientific tradition, had not been of Asiatic origin, but in fact …

What was the name of Thor Heyerdahl’s raft?

Kon-Tiki
Kon-Tiki, raft in which the Norwegian scientist Thor Heyerdahl and five companions sailed in 1947 from the western coast of South America to the islands east of Tahiti.

Why did Thor Heyerdahl believe that Peruvians settled Polynesia?

Heyerdahl argued that the Pacific had been settled by accidental drift voyaging from the Americas. His argument was based largely on the wind and current patterns in the Pacific, which flow predominantly from East to West.

Is Kon-Tiki a true story?

“Kon-Tiki” is based on a true story that follows the incredible story of Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl, who crossed the Pacific ocean in a balsa wood raft in 1947, together with five men, to prove that South Americans – specifically, Peruvians – back in pre-Colombian times could have crossed the sea and settled on …

Did Peru discover Polynesia?

A Peruvian expedition led by Carlos Caravedo crossed the Pacific Ocean in 1965 in 115 days in a raft named Tangaroa, of which 18 days were used by the crew to cross Tuamotus, the Tuamotu Archipielago, making Tangaroa the only raft that has managed to cross that dangerous archipelago of French Polynesia by its own means …

What evidence opposes Thor Heyerdahl?

The introduction of DNA analysis, along with other findings, largely undermined Heyerdahl’s theory, and despite the unusual occurrences of South American food plants on the Pacific islands, Heyerdahl’s voyage in the end was not much more than an Oscar-winning film and an exciting, if risky, adventure without much …