Author got'Kon Tiki' idea from living like natives
By Swaebou Conateh
Had Thor Heyerdahl, noted Norwegian explorer and author, not lived like the natives of Samao in 1937, he probably would not have drifted across 4,000 miles of the Pacific Ocean on a balsa raft.
He was in a Norwegian expedition studying the problem of isolation on the fauna of Polynesia. At that time they were the only white people in the area.
"WE HAD TO LIVE the way the natives did," he said about himself and his wife.
Together they gathered food from the forest and went fishing in the warm Pacific. From his fishing trips, Heyerdahl discovered that the strong currents and wind moved in only one direction, toward the sunset.
"I dared not sail to the other side of the island," he said. "It is impossible to sail against the current and the wind."
Yet it was this very fact that contradicted the established theory of the time which held the Polynesians were an Asiatic race that moved east from the Malay Peninsula to the present position. The currents and the wind direction do not complement this theory, Heyerdahl said.
"AT THE SAME TIME, we found the whole island was a mass of archaeology. After one year there, I abandoned zoology altogether," he said.
He has never looked back since. He went to British Columbia and spent a year among the Indians. Already he knew of the geographical link in the warm Japan Current that drifts to that area.
"I was amazed at the physical similarities of these peoples to Polynesians I know," he said. "Both races have corresponding head forms, blood groups, aquiline noses, exceptional height, skin color and hair structure."
Other links Heyerdahl found
between the two groups of races are the cultural artifacts and the equipment used by both.
WITH THAT, he said, it is clear that the Polynesian race was one of two emigrant groups that abandoned the main land of Asia for the sea. One group went west and established settlements in Melanesia. The second group hugged the east flowing Japan current to northwest America, where some more settled. The remainder of the group followed the drift of the currents into the Pacific where they settled the islands of Polynesia.
His research was aided by data going back to the days of Captain Cook. At this stage he realized two things. Evidence against his theory was overwhelming, and South America presents a definite stratum to the mass migration that occurred in the "Polynesian triangle."
Of special concern was the fact South Americans were not noted sailors. Theory already had suggested their balsa rafts had to be beached or else the logs would absorb too much water and sink. But Heyerdahl was not convinced.
With five adventurers, he set out from Peru on a 4,000 mile drift voyage on a balsa raft. Before them was Heyerdahl's desire to prove a balsa raft is seaworthy and the Peru Indians could have moved to the Polynesian islands.
"HERE, I REFER to the Indians of the pre-Inca era," he said. "Much of the inspiration for the cutting of stone statues in the Pacific seemed to be taken from them."
After three months, they reached their destination, an uninhabited atoll in the Pacific. That perilous landing, which left the raft wrecked on the reef, brought him to world fame as a controversy was to rage over his book, "Kon-Tiki."
"Much of the criticism was due
to people reading the popular account of the voyage. They thought I made the Peru Indians the direct ancestors of the Polynesians whereas I just consider them a stratum in the whole setup. Most of the criticism has died today," he said.
"I FEEL confident the voyage opened the mind of scholars to the problem of this area."
Heyderahl is leaving for South America tomorrow, from where he will return to Europe again. His present visit to the United States is connected with the collection of material for the third volume of his book on Easter Island.
Daily Kansan Friday, March 18, 1966
Russian dogs doze after space trip
MOSCOW —(UPI)After a thrill-packed 22-day voyage in orbit, Russian space dogs Blackie and Breeze apparently found their television debut a little boring.
They dozed off to sleep before millions of viewers Thursday night.
A Soviet space physician explained that the space hounds were so fatigued when they landed that they didn't even recognize their masters.
"The dogs are dreaming of having a good sleep," the physician told the Russian audience.
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