Heyerdahl back to front

[Cudzoziemiec]

Thor Heyerdahl sailed across the Pacific on a raft to 'prove' that people from South America settled in Polynesia. Turns out he might have been right that the voyage was made, but (most likely) in the other direction.

Indigenous Americans and Polynesians bridged vast expanses of open ocean around the year 1200 and mingled, leaving incontrovertible proof of their encounter in the DNA of present-day populations, new studies have revealed.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jul/08/indigenous-americans-polynesians-dna-800-years-ago
And the original paper in Nature: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-01983-5
which is surprisingly readable (and which the Gurn seems to have possibly slightly misrepresented in some aspects, such as direction of travel).

[hatler]

I read that as the other way round, that they had found American mainland DNA in the South Marquesas and Tuamoto populations.

Even better, that Heyerdahl had worked out that contact was more likely with these island groups rather than the nearer Easter Island (Rapa Nui), based upon his workings of where a raft would most likely drift.

It's time I read The Kon-Tiki Expedition again. It's an astonishing tale.

[Cudzoziemiec]

Yes, they found South American DNA in Polynesia. The question is whether it got there by Americans visiting the Marquesas or Marquesans visiting America and then returning, or from multiple contacts. Obviously, that's not known for sure, but whereas Nature seems to suggest it's possible Americans might even have reached the Marquesas before they were populated from western Polynesia, the Graun reported it the other way. In any case, the first meeting doesn't seem to have been in Easter Island/Rapa Nui.

[Mr Larrington]

As I recall, TV's Dr^* Alice Roberts fronted a programme a decade or more ago that shewed Polynesians to have originated in what is now Taiwan.  Which doesn't explain the migration of the sweet potato in the opposite direction

* As she was then.

[Cudzoziemiec]

Taiwanese sailed east and became Polynesians in time. Later, Americans (or pre-Americans... ) sailed west, taking the "kumara" with them.

[Kim]

As I recall, TV's Dr^* Alice Roberts fronted a programme a decade or more ago that shewed Polynesians to have originated in what is now Taiwan.  Which doesn't explain the migration of the sweet potato in the opposite direction

The whole plan hinged on the natural curiosity of potatoes...

[T42]

Heyerdahl got taken apart by the archaeologist Robert C. Suggs on several occasions, one of which described Heyerdahl's Peruvians as "showing up off Easter Island in AD 380 led by a post-AD 750 Incan god-hero with an AD 750 Tiahuanaco material culture featuring AD 1500 Incan walls... equivalent to saying that America was discovered in the last days of the Roman Empire by King Henry VIII, who brought the Ford Falcon to the benighted aborigines".

See here.

[Mr Larrington]

As I recall, TV's Dr^* Alice Roberts fronted a programme a decade or more ago that shewed Polynesians to have originated in what is now Taiwan.  Which doesn't explain the migration of the sweet potato in the opposite direction

The whole plan hinged on the natural curiosity of potatoes...

Did Mr Lem observe any difference in curiosity levels between regular tatties and sweet ones?

[ElyDave]

Heyerdahl got taken apart by the archaeologist Robert C. Suggs on several occasions, one of which described Heyerdahl's Peruvians as "showing up off Easter Island in AD 380 led by a post-AD 750 Incan god-hero with an AD 750 Tiahuanaco material culture featuring AD 1500 Incan walls... equivalent to saying that America was discovered in the last days of the Roman Empire by King Henry VIII, who brought the Ford Falcon to the benighted aborigines".

See here.

Clicky link no worky

[T42]

Heyerdahl got taken apart by the archaeologist Robert C. Suggs on several occasions, one of which described Heyerdahl's Peruvians as "showing up off Easter Island in AD 380 led by a post-AD 750 Incan god-hero with an AD 750 Tiahuanaco material culture featuring AD 1500 Incan walls... equivalent to saying that America was discovered in the last days of the Roman Empire by King Henry VIII, who brought the Ford Falcon to the benighted aborigines".

See here.

Clicky link no worky

Funny, does for me. Maybe you need a Google account, it's on Google Books.

[Cudzoziemiec]

I get "You have either reached a page that is unavailable for viewing or reached your viewing limit for this book."

[T42]

That's a shame.  Anyway, the bit I re-typed above is the pith of it.  If you can find a book called "Apeman/Spaceman" his full essay is in there.