Everything Everywhere Daily: History, Science, Geography & More - Thor Heyerdahl and the Kon-Tiki Expedition

Starting point is 00:00:00 In 1947, a Norwegian adventurer by the name of Tor Hairedoll set out to prove a theory of his that the people of Polynesia came there from South America. To prove his theory, he built a raft out of local materials in Peru and set sail across the Pacific. His voyage was successful, but the same couldn't be said for his theories. Learn more about Tor Heardall and the Contiki expedition on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Do you ever climb into bed ready to sleep, only to have your mind start racing the moment your head hits the pillow? Thoughts bouncing around, replaying the day or jumping ahead to tomorrow? That is exactly why Catherine Nikolai created Nothing Much Happens.

Starting point is 00:00:51 Each episode is a gentle, cozy bedtime story where, well, nothing much happens. No drama, no tension. Nothing you need to follow closely. Just soft narration, calming repetition, and soothing sensory details designed to help your mind slow down and your body relax. It's not about entertainment, it's about rest. and millions of listeners around the world use it every night to quiet their thoughts and finally fall asleep. If you've ever struggled to shut your brain off at night, this might be exactly what you've been missing. You can listen to Nothing Much Happens wherever you

Starting point is 00:01:21 get your podcasts. Episodes are every Monday and Thursday. The story of the Contiki expedition began with its creator, the Norwegian Tor Heiredall. Heardall was born on October 6, 1914, in Larvick, Norway. He grew up with a love for adventure and exploration, which would shape his career and his life's work. Hyerdahl's interest in exploration began during his childhood, where he would often explore the nearby forests and coastal areas. He was also fascinated by archaeology and anthropology, which led him to study these subjects at the University of Oslo.

Starting point is 00:01:59 During his university years, Heardall also became interested in the cultural and historical connections between different parts of the world, which would later inform his theories and expeditions. In 1936, Hyardol moved to the Marquesasas Islands in French Polynesia, where he researched local Polynesian culture and wrote his thesis on the area's prehistoric people. Hiredall's experience living among the Polynesians and his fascination with their seafaring culture would later inspire his Contiki expedition. During World War II,

Starting point is 00:02:28 Heardoll served in the Norwegian Army and worked as a radio operator. After the war, he moved to New York City where he met his future wife, a member of the Norwegian consulate. The couple would go on to have four children. While these biographical facts help explain how Tor Hyerdahl became the persona he was, what makes him interesting enough for a podcast episode are the theories that he developed while he was living in French Polynesia. The origin of the Polynesians was an open question in the first half of the 20th century. Somehow, these people managed the greatest feats of navigation and history to populate some of the most remote islands in the world in the Pacific Ocean. The big question, amongst anthropologists was, where did they originally come from?

Starting point is 00:03:13 The prevailing view amongst anthropologists was that the Polynesians arrived in the Pacific by traveling east from somewhere in Southeast or East Asia. This theory was popularized by the great New Zealand Maori anthropologist T. Ranghihiroa, also known as Sir Peter Buck. Buck analyzed the stories of navigation from the peoples of the Pacific and concluded that the origin of the people in the Pacific was Southeast Asia. He published his findings in the landmark book, Vikings of the Sunrise. Heardall thought that Buck and others had it backwards.

Starting point is 00:03:47 He thought that Polynesians sailed west from the coast of South America. While Hyerdahl's theory wasn't in the mainstream, it also wasn't crazy. At the time, there were many theories floated about the origin of the Polynesian people, including that they came from North America, India, and even, believe it or not, Europe. Hyerdahl's biggest piece of evidence was the Moai statues on Easter Island. He felt that they were closer to the type of art found in South America rather than anything found in Southeast Asia. In fact, he had a rather elaborate theory that the first inhabitants of Easter Island were a people known as the Tiki people. He referenced an Incan legend of a sun god named Kontiki Viracocha.

Starting point is 00:04:30 According to the legend, Kontiki Viracocha sailed into the sunset with his people from Peru. He claimed that the Tiki people would have sailed from South America via drift voyaging. Basically, they would have built rafts and then let the winds and currents take them wherever they did. And that was an all. According to Hiredall, the Tiki people populated the Americas by sailing across the Atlantic. Now, if you've listened to my previous episodes touching on these topics, you will not be surprised to find that most anthropologists completely dismissed Hiredall's ideas. In fact, one anthropologist named Herbert Spindon told Hyerdahl, quote,

Starting point is 00:05:08 Sure, see how far you get yourself sailing from Peru to the South Pacific on a balsa raft, end quote. So, that's exactly what Tor Heardoll did. He was going to prove his theory by building a raft out of balsa wood in South America and sailing it into the Pacific. The raft and the expedition were going to be named the Contiki, after the Incan sun god who supposedly sailed into the sunset. Hyerdahl assembled a crew of six, including himself, consisting of five Norwegians and one Swede. The raft was constructed out of native materials. The primary component of the raft were the trunks of nine balsa wood trees lashed together with hemp rope.

Starting point is 00:05:48 There was an a-frame shelter on the raft with a long steering ore and a sail. They stored 1,000 liters of water in both ancient and modern containers, and their food consisted of what would have been available to ancient South American sailors, primarily sweet potatoes and coconuts. The one modern thing they did have with them was a radio, which they could use in case of emergency. They set sail on April 28, 1947. They were towed 50 miles out to sea just to avoid any coastal maritime traffic. They were mainly carried westward by the Humboldt current, which travels up the coast of

Starting point is 00:06:23 South America and then turns west near the equator. On July 2nd, they encountered a rare event at sea. They hit a rogue wave. They were in calm seas, and then three massive waves swept over the raft, and then things were calm again. They cited the Puka Puka Atool on July 30th, and then passed the Angatau Atool on August 4th, but couldn't land. The voyage finally came to an end on August 7th when they beached themselves on the rare Oria Atoe Islands in the Toomotu Islands. The island was uninhabited, so they stayed there for several days before a man from a neighboring island visited. They were eventually picked up by a friend ship, and the Contiki was towed behind it.

Starting point is 00:07:04 Hyerdahl proved that it was possible to sail a ship made of natural materials from South America to Polynesia. The problem was he didn't really prove anything. While it was possible for people to sail from South America, it doesn't mean that that is, in fact, what happened. Whatever shortfalls Hyerdoll had as an anthropologist, he made up for in marketing. He and his crew documented their voyage by taking copious notes and filming everything with a 16mm video camera. In 1948, he published a book, The Contiki Expedition, By Raffed Across the South Seas. The book was a bestseller in Norway, where it was first released and it sold out in two weeks. It was then released in English in 1950, where it was also a big hit.

Starting point is 00:07:48 As of today, it has been translated into 70 languages and has sold more than 50 million copies worldwide. In 1950, a documentary film was released about the Conteiki expedition. It, too, was very successful, winning the Academy Award for Best Documentary in 51. The success of the book and the movie made Tor Heardahl Hall household name. However, it did nothing to advance his theories. In 1955 and 1956, he led an expedition to Easter Island, overseeing several excavations. He interpreted his findings to support his theory of South Americans traveling to Polynesia, and then wrote another international bestseller, Aku Aku.

Starting point is 00:08:30 In 1969, he created another boat to travel across the ocean, but this time he intended to sail across the Atlantic to try and prove the other parts of his theory. He called this new boat the Ra after the Egyptian sun god. It was made out of papyrus reeds and assembled by boat builders from Lake Chad. It had an international crew and set off from Morocco. Unfortunately, after a few weeks, it took on water and eventually disintegrated in the open ocean. The crew was picked up by a passing yacht. He tried again in 1970 with the Ra 2.

Starting point is 00:09:05 The Ra 2 was actually lost at sea for several days, sparking an international rescue mission. But it eventually arrived on the shores of Barbados, again proving it was possible to cross the Atlantic Ocean just using ocean currents. In 1977, he took part in yet another expedition, this time trying to cross the Atlantic Ocean, just using ocean currents. this time trying to prove that the people of Mesopotamia and the Indus Valley could have had direct contact with each other by sea. This ship was called the Tigris, and it was built and launched in Iraq. They sailed the ship through the Persian Gulf, but never made it to Pakistan, which was their destination. After five months at sea, they arrived in Djibouti, where they burned the ship in protest of all the wars going on in the region. Later in his life, he worked on something called the Odin hypothesis. This whole whole,

Starting point is 00:09:51 that the Norse god, such as Odin, were actual people who migrated to Scandinavia from somewhere in Russia or perhaps as far south as Azerbaijan. He also had other theories such as there were pyramids on the island of Tenerife and the Canary Islands, and that Sri Lanka and the Maldives were once part of a global seafaring civilization. Tor Heiredall passed away in 2002 at the age of 87. Despite having developed international renown for his expeditions, his theories added almost nothing to our understanding of archaeology. Pretty much everything he believed has been debunked, as more and more evidence has been discovered.

Starting point is 00:10:31 DNA testing, radiometric dating, and other archaeological finds have not provided any evidence for any of his theories. Pretty much everything he believes has been relegated to the realm of pseudoscience. Despite his inability to advance science, Tor Heardall is still remembered as an adventurer. Oslo, Norway is home to the Contiki Museum. It houses some of the original vessels used in his voyages, as well as his archives. In 2015, another expedition took place called the Contiki II. It was also a raft made of balsa trees and managed to sail from Peru to Easter Island. They tried to sail back to South America, but had to abandon ship midway through the return.

Starting point is 00:11:12 The lesson of Tor Hairedall is that just because you prove something could be done doesn't mean that it was actually that it was actually. actually done. While he did cross an ocean with primitive materials, he knew that there was something on the other end before his voyages ever started. That simple fact that ancient people lacked probably prevented them from ever attempting such a voyage in the first place. The executive producer of Everything Everywhere Daily is Charles Daniel. The associate producers are Thor Thompson and Peter Bennett. Today's review comes from listener Jay Prats over on Apple podcasts in the United States. They write, If you regret not paying attention in history class, this is for you.

Starting point is 00:11:56 I discovered this podcast recently, and I'm enjoying scrolling down and just randomly listening to episodes. I love the wide variety of topics, but I have a suggestion. I just listened to the Christmas Foods one, and there was no mention made of Coquito, which is the most delicious variation of eggnog made in Puerto Rico. That brings me to the point that you could write so many episodes about that small island. Thanks again for coming up with this podcast. Don't you quit? Well, thanks, Jay Prats. There is a very good reason why I never mentioned Coquito in that episode, and that is because I never heard of it before. I might be heading to Puerto Rico later this year, and if I'm there, I will certainly inquire

Starting point is 00:12:36 about it. Also, there will certainly be episodes about Puerto Rico at some point in the future. Remember, if you leave a review or semi-abustogram, you two can have it read on the show.

Everything Everywhere Daily: History, Science, Geography & More - Thor Heyerdahl and the Kon-Tiki Expedition

There aren't comments yet for this episode. Click on any sentence in the transcript to leave a comment.