The Kon-Tiki Expedition by Raft Across the South Seas Free

FREE THE KON-TIKI EXPEDITION BY RAFT ACROSS THE SOUTH SEAS PDF

Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. Want to Read saving…. Want to Read Currently Reading Read. Other editions. Enlarge cover. Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Open Preview See a Problem? Details if other :. Thanks for telling us about the problem. Return to Book Page. Preview — Kon-Tiki by Thor Heyerdahl. Kon-Tiki by Thor Heyerdahl. Kon-Tiki is the record of an astonishing adventure -- a journey of 4, nautical miles across the Pacific Ocean by raft. Intrigued by Polynesian folklore, biologist Thor Heyerdahl suspected that the South Sea Islands had been settled by an ancient race from thousands of miles to the east, led by a mythical hero, Kon-Tiki. He decided to prove his The Kon-Tiki Expedition by Raft Across the South Seas by duplicating the Kon-Tiki is the record of an astonishing adventure -- a journey of 4, nautical miles across the Pacific Ocean by raft. He decided to prove his theory by duplicating the legendary voyage. On April 28,Heyerdahl and five other adventurers sailed from Peru on a balsa log raft. After three months on the open sea, encountering raging The Kon-Tiki Expedition by Raft Across the South Seas, whales, and sharks, they sighted land -- the Polynesian island of Puka Puka. Translated into sixty-five languages, Kon-Tiki is a classic, inspiring tale of daring and courage -- a magnificent saga of men against the sea. Washington Square Press' Enriched Classics present the great works of world literature enhanced for the contemporary reader. It includes a foreword by the author, a selection of critical excerpts, notes, an index, and a unique visual essay of the voyage. Get A Copy. Paperbackpages. Published May 1st by Rand McNally first published More Details Original Title. Other Editions Friend Reviews. To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. To ask other readers questions about Kon-Tikiplease The Kon-Tiki Expedition by Raft Across the South Seas up. Where does Thor Heyerdahl's theories regarding early Polynesian people stand within modern conventional wisdom? Have they been confirmed? Deemed downright ludicrous? Ami His theory is considered wrong. The common opinion nowadays proved by genetic evidence is that Polynesian origin is from Austronesian peoples, and c …more His theory is considered wrong. The common opinion nowadays proved by genetic evidence is that Polynesian origin is from Austronesian peoples, and came from Taiwan, Indonesia and Philippines. The migration occurred gradually, at BCAC. The Austronesian peoples were later replaced at their origin lands by the current Chinese people. There have probably been later travels from either South America to Polynesia, or raids from Polynesia to South America and back. But the main migration was from south Asia. Jules Not only the potato word, but he also recognized that some god's names and symbols were the same in Peru and Polynesia. See all 5 questions about Kon-Tiki…. Lists with This Book. Community Reviews. Showing Average rating 4. Rating details. More filters. Sort order. Start your review of Kon-Tiki. Shelves: travel. Every Norwegian family we knew had a copy of this book on their shelves. I read it with much familial encouragement at an early age, mostly as a travel adventure, which it is, and not so much with any regard for the scientific hypothesis The Kon-Tiki Expedition by Raft Across the South Seas author was testing. Aku-Aku followed soon thereafter. Inin the summer following seminary graduation, I was invited by mother to visit her in Oslo before moving from New York City back to Chicago. It was a great trip filled with many memorable events. O Every Norwegian family we knew had a copy of this book on their shelves. One of them was revisiting the Kon-Tiki Museum there which I hadn't seen since the The Kon-Tiki Expedition by Raft Across the South Seas time in Oslo at age ten. In the parking lot who should be standing there but Thor Heyerdahl himself? Although he was talking to another man, Mother interrupted them as if she knew him to introduce me to the great man as her son. Polite nothings were exchanged. He was very, very tall. Did she know him? It's a small country. Mom did know the former prime minister, Gro Harlam Brundtland, and once, walking down Karljohan, Oslo' main drag, with her boyfriend, she recognized, but couldn't exactly place, the portly gentleman walking his dogs in front of them--someone from Chicago, she thought. Anyway, she broke away from Egil, the boyfriend, and darted up to the old fellow, saying she recognized him, but, sadly, couldn't remember his name. View all 5 comments. We had a power outage with a winter storm the other day so I looked around my bookshelves and came across a book I was fascinated with many years ago and decided to read it again. The book is Kon-Tiki by Thor Heyerdahl. The hardcover book I have was published in It was given to me by my mother for my birthday in I read this book at least twice a year in the fifties and sixties, but somehow it got put aside. This book is one of the key items that helped me decide on a career in the sc We had a power outage with a winter storm the other day so I looked around my bookshelves and came across a book I was fascinated with many years ago and decided to read it again. This book is one of the key items that helped me decide on a career in the sciences with secondary interest in archaeology and anthropology. Of course, early on I studied primarily marine sciences and biology. The book is well written with lots of photographs. The voyage of the Kon-Tiki took place in The part I liked best was the descriptions of the sea life that came around the raft. This time I was more intrigued with how the raft functioned and The Kon-Tiki Expedition by Raft Across the South Seas the ancient people of Peru came about to design it in a certain way and why they chose the certain woods they used. Many times, after reading a book that I had enjoyed, I no longer like it and wonder what I saw in it. But that is not the case with this book. I was as fascinated with my current reading as I was back in the s. I did note that they saw no garbage and no plastics floating in the water. Today that is a big problem when sailing the oceans. If you are looking for a different adventure, give this book a try. I read this as a hardcover book that is pages. View all 8 comments. Dec 09, Mukikamu rated it it was amazing. It is just as crazy as it is heroic and makes your jaw drop everytime. The 6 men fighting the elements on a hand-made balsa wood vesel are at the mercy of the acient Gods of South America and the Pacific. Encounters with wonderful Verne-like creatures of the sea bring the Pacific to life. Squids and giant sharks are right under your feet, fish and octopus fly into your face daily. You just have to The Kon-Tiki Expedition by Raft Across the South Seas your toothbrush in the water and a fish bites on it vehemently. Mandatory for armchair explorers. Feb 05, Jessaka rated it it was amazing Shelves: adventure-truefavoritestar. This book was recommended to me back in the s by my favorite teacher, Mr. Bailey, who ttaught 8th grade in Paso Robles, CA. I remember going to the Paso Robles library and handling the book back then, but never reading it until now. The Kon-Tiki Expedition: By Raft Across the South Seas - Wikipedia

Infledgling Norwegian zoological researcher Thor Heyerdahl traveled to the South Pacific with his newlywed wife to study the flora and fauna of the isolated Marquesas Islands. Heyerdahl noted the presence of South American plants such as the sweet potato in Polynesia and the similarities between stone figures on Fatu Hiva and the monoliths erected by ancient South American civilizations. He saw parallels in the physical appearances, rituals and myths of Polynesians and South Americans, and around the glow of a fire, he listened as an elder spoke of a demigod named Tiki who brought his ancestors to the island from a big country beyond the eastern horizon. Heyerdahl on board Kon-Tiki. Heyerdahl returned to Norway with fish, jars of beetles and a new dream—to challenge conventional wisdom and demonstrate that the first people who settled Polynesia came from the east, not the west. He abandoned his zoology studies and developed an ethnological theory that two waves of people from the Americas populated the South Pacific. The first wave, Heyerdahl said, arrived around A. Heyerdahl, however, was determined to prove that such a voyage was possible—even if it meant risking his life. An open bamboo cabin with overlapping banana leaves covering the roof provided the only protection from the elements. With a smash of a coconut against the bow, the vessel was christened Kon-Tiki after the legendary Peruvian The Kon-Tiki Expedition by Raft Across the South Seas god who had vanished westward across the sea, a mythical figure who served as the mirror image to the Polynesian demigod Tiki who had arrived from the east. Borne along by the northeast-east trade winds that billowed the massive square sail bearing the image of the bearded Kon-Tiki, the raft groaned and creaked as it drifted across the vast blue desert of water. Although the vessel carried a radio that the crew used to provide daily meteorological and oceanographic observations, a rescue would have been nearly impossible given their remote location in the ocean. They navigated with just The Kon-Tiki Expedition by Raft Across the South Seas sun, stars, currents and winds as The Kon-Tiki Expedition by Raft Across the South Seas guides. They maneuvered the raft with only the sail, paddles and a temperamental steering oar as they beat against waves that in stormy conditions towered higher than their masts. Kon-Tiki on display in Oslo, Norway. Credit: Getty Images. Each morning the cook collected the flying fish that flopped onto the deck overnight. After circling the vessel for The Kon- Tiki Expedition by Raft Across the South Seas hour, the enormous sea monster thankfully found other ocean prey. The winds and currents, however, kept the vessel out at sea. More than a week later, as dawn broke on August 7, they spotted a reef on the starboard side. As the fragile timber raft approached the jagged reef, the cresting waves grew and sent tons of water splashing over Kon-Tiki. The crew clung to whatever they could as the mast snapped and the swells heaved them onto the Raroia atoll in the Tuamotu Archipelago near Tahiti. All arrived safely—except for the parrot that had vanished during a storm out at sea—after covering 4, nautical miles in days, an average speed of Heyerdahl had proved that an ancient voyage from South America to Polynesia was possible. However, he could not prove that it had actually occurred, and most scholars continue to dismiss his theory and believe the first Polynesian settlers arrived from Southeast Asia. Heyerdahl poses in front of Kon-Tiki display, He continued to conduct research expeditions to Easter Island, the Galapagos Islands and South America until his death inand he led voyages across the Atlantic and Indian Oceans in primitive vessels similar to Kon-Tiki to prove how other ancient civilizations may have been interconnected. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! Twice a week we compile our most fascinating features and deliver them straight to you. Live TV. This Day In History. History at Home. Andersonville, Years Ago. The Superstorm That Flooded America. Kon-Tiki expedition - Wikipedia

The expedition was designed to demonstrate that ancient people could have made long sea voyages, creating contacts between societies. This was linked to a diffusionist model of cultural development. Heyerdahl made other voyages to demonstrate the possibility of contact between widely separated ancient peoples, notably the Ra II expedition ofwhen he sailed from the west coast of Africa to Barbados in a papyrus reed boat. He was appointed a government scholar in The Kon-Tiki Expedition by Raft Across the South Seas Norwegian government gave him a state funeral in Oslo Cathedral on 26 April Heyerdahl was born in LarvikNorwaythe son of master brewer Thor Heyerdahl — and his wife, Alison Lyng — As a young child, Heyerdahl showed a strong interest in zoology, inspired by his mother, who had a strong interest The Kon-Tiki Expedition by Raft Across the South Seas Charles Darwin 's theory of evolution. He created a small museum in his childhood home, with a common adder Vipera berus as the main attraction. He studied zoology and geography at the faculty of biological science at the University of Oslo. This collection was later purchased by the University of Oslo Library from Kroepelien's heirs and was attached to the Kon-Tiki Museum research department. After seven terms and consultations with experts in Berlina project was developed and sponsored by Heyerdahl's zoology professors, Kristine Bonnevie and Hjalmar Broch. He was to visit some isolated Pacific island groups and study how the local animals had found their way there. On the day before they sailed together to the Marquesas Islands inHeyerdahl married Liv Coucheron-Torp —whom he had met at the University of Oslo, and who had studied economics there. He was 22 years old and she was 20 years old. The marriage ended in divorce shortly before the Kon-Tiki expedition, which Liv had helped to organize. InHeyerdahl married Yvonne Dedekam-Simonsen — They had three daughters: Annette, Marian and Helene Elisabeth. They were divorced in Heyerdahl blamed their separation on his being away from home and differences in their ideas for bringing up children. In his autobiography, he concluded that he should take the entire blame for their separation. InHeyerdahl married Jacqueline Beer born as his third wife. He had still been hoping to undertake an The Kon-Tiki Expedition by Raft Across the South Seas project in Samoa before he died. They nominally had an academic mission, to research the spread of animal species between islands, but in reality they intended to "run away to the South Seas" and never return home. Added by expedition funding from their parents, they nonetheless arrived on the island lacking "provisions, weapons or a radio". Residents in Tahiti, where they stopped enroute, did convince them to take a machete and a cooking pot. There, they made their thatch -covered stilted home in the valley of Uia. Living in such primitive conditions was a daunting task, but they managed to live off the land, and work on their academical goals, by collecting and studying zoological and botanical specimens. They discovered unusual artifacts, listened to the natives' oral history traditions, and took note of the prevailing winds and ocean currents. It was in this setting, surrounded by the ruins of the formerly glorious Marquesan civilizationthat Heyerdahl first developed his theories regarding the possibility of pre-Columbian trans-oceanic contact between the pre-European Polynesiansand the peoples and cultures of South America. Despite the seemingly idyllic situation, the exposure to various tropical diseases and other The Kon-Tiki Expedition by Raft Across the South Seas caused them to return to civilisation a year later. They worked together to write an account of their adventure. In Heyerdahl and five fellow adventurers sailed from Peru to the Tuamotu IslandsFrench Polynesia in a pae-pae raft that they had constructed from balsa wood and other native materials, christened the Kon-Tiki. The Kon-Tiki expedition was inspired by old The Kon-Tiki Expedition by Raft Across the South Seas and drawings made by the Spanish Conquistadors of Inca rafts, and by native legends and archaeological evidence suggesting contact between South America and Polynesia. Heyerdahl had nearly drowned at least twice in childhood and did not take easily to water; he said later that there were times in each of his raft voyages when he feared for his life. Kon-Tiki demonstrated that it was possible for a primitive raft to sail the Pacific with relative ease and safety, especially to the west with the trade winds. The raft proved to be highly manoeuvrable, and fish congregated between the nine balsa logs in such numbers that ancient sailors could have possibly relied on fish for hydration in the absence of other sources of fresh water. Other rafts have repeated the voyage, inspired by Kon-Tiki. Anthropologists continue to believe that Polynesia was settled from west to east, based on linguisticphysical, and genetic evidence, migration having begun from the Asian mainland. Blood samples taken in and from Easter Islanders without any European or other external descent were analysed in a study, which concluded that the evidence supported some aspects of Heyerdahl's hypothesis. Heyerdahl claimed that in Incan legend there was a sun-god named Con-Tici Viracocha who was the supreme head of the mythical fair-skinned people in Peru. Kon-Tiki was high priest and sun-king of these legendary "white men" who left enormous ruins The Kon-Tiki Expedition by Raft Across the South Seas the shores of Lake Titicaca. The legend continues with the mysterious bearded white men being attacked by a chief named Cari, who came from the Coquimbo Valley. They had a battle on an island in Lake Titicaca, and the fair race was massacred. However, Kon-Tiki and his closest companions managed to escape and later arrived on the Pacific coast. The legend ends with Kon-Tiki and his companions disappearing westward out to sea. When the Spaniards came to Peru, Heyerdahl asserted, the Incas told them that the colossal monuments that stood deserted about the landscape were erected by a race of white gods who had lived there before the Incas themselves became rulers. The Incas described these "white gods" as wise, peaceful instructors who had originally come from the north in the "morning of time" and taught the Incas' primitive forebears architecture as well as manners and customs. They were unlike other Native Americans in that they had "white skins and long beards" and were taller than the Incas. The Incas said that the "white gods" had then left as suddenly as they had come and fled westward across the Pacific. After they had left, the Incas themselves took over power in the country. Heyerdahl said that when the Europeans first came The Kon-Tiki Expedition by Raft Across the South Seas the Pacific islands, they were astonished that they found some of the natives to have relatively light skins and beards. There were whole families that had pale skin, hair varying in colour from reddish to blonde. In contrast, most of the Polynesians had golden-brown skin, raven-black hair, and rather flat noses. Heyerdahl claimed that when Jacob Roggeveen discovered Easter The Kon-Tiki Expedition by Raft Across the South Seas inhe supposedly noticed that many of the natives were white-skinned. Heyerdahl claimed that these people could count their ancestors who were "white-skinned" right back to the time of Tiki and Hotu Matuawhen they first came sailing across the sea "from a mountainous land in the east which was scorched by the sun". Heyerdahl proposed that Tiki's neolithic people colonised the then uninhabited Polynesian islands as far north as Hawaiias far south as New Zealandas far east as Easter Island, and as far west as Samoa and Tonga around AD. They supposedly sailed from Peru to the Polynesian islands on pae-paes —large rafts built from balsa logs, complete with sails and each with a small cottage. They built enormous stone statues carved in the image of human beings on Pitcairnthe Marquesasand Easter Island that resembled those in Peru. They also built huge pyramids on Tahiti and Samoa with steps like those in Peru. But all over Polynesia, Heyerdahl found indications that Tiki's peaceable race had not been able to hold the islands alone for long. He found evidence that suggested that seagoing war canoes as large as Viking ships and lashed together two and two had brought Stone Age Northwest American Indians to Polynesia around ADand they mingled with Tiki's people. The oral history of the people of Easter Island, at least as it was documented by Heyerdahl, is completely consistent with this theory, as is the archaeological record he examined Heyerdahl In particular, Heyerdahl obtained a radiocarbon date of AD for a charcoal fire located in the pit that was held by the people of Easter Island to have been used as an "oven" by the "Long Ears", which Heyerdahl's Rapa Nui sources, reciting oral tradition, identified as a white race that had ruled the island in The Kon-Tiki Expedition by Raft Across the South Seas past Heyerdahl Heyerdahl further argued in his book American Indians in the Pacific that the current inhabitants of Polynesia migrated from The Kon-Tiki Expedition by Raft Across the South Seas Asian source, but via an alternative route. He proposes that Polynesians travelled with the wind along the North Pacific current. These migrants then arrived in British Columbia. Heyerdahl called contemporary tribes of British Columbia, such as the Tlingit and Haidadescendants of these migrants. Heyerdahl claimed that cultural and physical similarities existed between these British Columbian tribes, Polynesians, and the Old World source. Heyerdahl's theory of Polynesian origins has not gained acceptance among anthropologists. In the late s, genetic testing found that the mitochondrial DNA of the Polynesians is more similar to people from south-east Asia than to people from South America, showing that their ancestors most likely came from Asia. 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. A study by Norwegian researcher Erik Thorsby [28] suggested that there was some merit to Heyerdahl's ideas and that, while Polynesia was colonised from Asia, some contact with South America also existed. However, more recent work [ when? Analysis showed that: "although the European lineage could be explained by contact with white Europeans after the island was 'discovered' in by Dutch sailors, the South American component was much older, dating to between about andsoon after the island was first colonised by Polynesians in around A study based on wider genome analysis published in Nature in July is suggestive of a contact event, around AD, between Polynesian individuals and a Native American group most closely related to the indigenous inhabitants of present-day Colombia. Heyerdahl and the professional archaeologists who travelled with him spent several months on Easter Island investigating several important archaeological sites. Highlights of the project include experiments in the carving, transport and erection of the notable moaias well as excavations at such prominent sites as Orongo and Poike. Heyerdahl's popular book on the subject, Aku-Aku was another international best-seller. Based on native testimony and archaeological research, he claimed the island was originally colonised by Hanau eepe "Long Ears"from South America, and that Polynesian Hanau momoko "Short Ears" arrived only in the midth century; they may have come independently or perhaps were imported as workers. According to Heyerdahl, something happened between Admiral Roggeveen's discovery of the island in and James Cook's visit in ; while Roggeveen encountered white, Indian, and Polynesian people living in relative harmony and prosperity, Cook encountered a much smaller population consisting mainly of Polynesians and living in privation. Heyerdahl notes the oral tradition of an uprising of "Short Ears" against the ruling "Long Ears". The "Long Ears" dug a defensive moat on the eastern end of the island and filled it with kindling. During the uprising, Heyerdahl claimed, the "Long Ears" ignited their moat and retreated behind it, but the "Short Ears" found a way around it, came up from behind, and pushed all but two of the "Long Ears" into the fire. This moat was found by the Norwegian expedition and it was partly cut down into the rock. Layers of fire were revealed but no fragments of bodies. As for the origin of the people of Easter Island, DNA tests have shown a connection to South America, The Kon-Tiki Expedition by Raft Across the South Seas critics conjecture that this was a result of recent events, but whether this is inherited from a person coming in later times is hard to know. If the story that almost all Long Ears were killed in a The Kon-Tiki Expedition by Raft Across the South Seas war is true, as the islanders' story goes, it would be expected that the statue-building South American bloodline would have been nearly utterly destroyed, leaving for the most part the invading Polynesian bloodline. In andHeyerdahl built two boats from papyrus and attempted The Kon-Tiki Expedition by Raft Across the South Seas cross the Atlantic Ocean from Morocco in Africa. Based on drawings and models from ancient Egyptthe first boat, named Ra after the Egyptian Sun godwas constructed by boat builders from Lake Chad using papyrus reed obtained from Lake Tana in Ethiopia and launched into the Atlantic Ocean from the coast of Morocco. Only Heyerdahl and Baker had sailing and navigation experience. After a number of weeks, Ra took on water. The crew discovered that a key element of The Kon-Tiki Expedition by Raft Across the South Seas Egyptian boatbuilding method had been neglected, a tether that acted like a spring to keep the stern high in the water while allowing for flexibility. The boat became lost and was the subject of a United Nations search and rescue mission. The search included international assistance including people as far afield as Loo-Chi Hu of New Zealand. The boat reached Barbadosthus demonstrating that mariners could have dealt with trans- Atlantic voyages by sailing with the Canary Current. The book The Ra Expeditions and the film documentary Ra were made about the voyages. Apart from the primary aspects of the expedition, Heyerdahl deliberately selected a crew representing a great diversity in racenationalityreligion and political viewpoint in order to demonstrate that at least on their own little floating island, people could co-operate and live peacefully. Additionally, the expedition took samples of marine pollution and presented their report to the United Nations. Heyerdahl built yet another reed boatTigriswhich was intended to demonstrate that trade and migration could have linked Mesopotamia with the Indus Valley Civilization in what is now Pakistan and western India.