Preface
This website was created a few months after the death of Thor Heyerdahl (April 2002) when I realized that despite the truths he spoke, most people had failed to understand the implications of the discoveries he had made during numerous quests of research and discovery. Hopefully in future years with the assistance of this website, people will eventually come to understand Thor Heyerdahl and Pacific prehistory a little better.
Thor has clearly been an inspiration to me and my research, his books 'Aku Aku', 'Early Man and the Ocean' and 'American Indians in the Pacific' should be read by everyone who has an interest in Pacific Prehistory.
Ever since I was a child living in the Pacific, the complexities of Pacific history and its people, have always intrigued me. Not merely through Thor's work but from my own experiences and observations. Many commonly held beliefs regarding Polynesian origins from Melanesia (the Lapita people) did not sit right and I have always wanted to get to the truth of the matter. Some of the things which helped spark my curiosity which has resulted in a lifelong quest for the truth are shown below.
1. My father and I (in the blue) looking at the rain erosion on the Haamonga a Maui, hinting at it's great age.
2. Exploring some of the large circular fortification trenches near Taranaki.
3. My father, sister and myself inspecting a massive stockade on Ouvea where a great war between people once raged. Ouvea
is a low coral island unable to support a forest with trees of this size. Tthese trees are believed to have been transported from
a distant island.
4. My sister and myself sitting outside traditional round houses in Ouvea.
If I had just come from Kuelap in Peru, I would have been astounded at the similarity in house construction.
Isolated pockets of this traditional house design - once common in the Bronze Age, fits in with the concept that isolated places
(both in natural history and in human history) are often veritable time capsules of a bygone age.
5. Replica houses of the blond haired Chachapoya Cloud people, Peru.
6. I was always intrigued that King Cakabou was the first Polynesian style king to rule Fiji. Living in Fiji and visiting Tonga,
Samoa and Niue helped me understand the profound differences between Fijian and Polynesian society at an early age.
7. Fijian crested iguana - its relatives live in South America. I always imagined children on Mayan ships having these animals as pets.
8. Small non commercial South American pineapple found growing wild amongst ruins on Fatu Hiva by Thor Heyerdahl.
9. The Mayan hybrid Vanilla Orchid, endemic to Tahiti.
Native American plants such as; cotton, bottlegourd, jackbean, coconut, paw paw, cassava and kumera - which are accepted as endemic plants of the Pacific, confirmed with me at an early age that there had been many voyages into the Pacific from America throughout the ages. Wth such plant and animal evidence in mind, I have always felt it foolish to underestimate the American influence on Pacific cultures - that is - if ones intention is to fully understand Pacific Prehistory without religious or political bias.
The true origins of the Pacific people is my prime motivation. I have no hidden agendas except for the quest for the truth. With this site, I have attempted to cut through the BS generated by people rewriting history for groups with hidden religious and political agendas. I am flying no flag except for the flag of truth. Humanity has the right to know our complex past.
I trust with the broad coverage of this article, you will see the importance of bringing together such a diverse range of very specialized disciplines which has enabled us to see the big picture of human prehistory. The Polynesians are a product of this ancient and complicated past. May you find the following pages both stimulating and educational.
If you wish to contact the author and discuss any of the issues covered in this article
feel free to contact me at; peterpanther08@hotmail.com