Reliving History Through Maritime Experimental Replication

 

 

            John Lewis Gaddis, a renowned historian, states that the discipline of writing history is much akin to the natural sciences¹.  This, according to Gaddis, is due to the notion that most natural sciences such as Paleontology, Physics, and others, follow the same processes in which a historian comes to his conclusion (which Gaddis calls thought experimentation or the logical analysis of causes and effects by examining available data such as manuscripts or artifacts)².  Another evidence for the similarities, based on his writings, is the fact that most of these sciences deal with non-replicable evidence due to temporal constraints and or variations in conditions³.  In addition to these examples, the idea that the discipline of history is similar to the natural sciences can be further expanded by examining the works of Thor Heyerdahl.  Through his endeavors, he made it apparent that some historical events can actually be replicated as long as he remained historically consistent with the factors that he can control (in Heyerdahl’s case, the authentic production of the seacrafts).  As a result, he was able to prove his detractors wrong and at the same time test his hypothesis much like the way natural scientists perform their experiments.

            It has been widely accepted that the prehistory of the American continent began when Pleistocene hunters from Asia crossed the Bering Strait land bridge into Alaska.  From here, they continued on to the main continent through the “ice free” corridor around 11000 to 12000 BCE⁴.  To this day, advocates of this theory still refuse to recognize the notion that some prehistoric Americans came by way of sea.  These academics continue to argue that the American continent was far too isolated from the other land masses and moreover, the seafaring technology during 12000 BCE and earlier was yet not up to standard.  They however cannot explain the fact that there are archaeological sites found in South America such as the Monte Verde in Chile which dated approximately 12000 BCE⁵.  This site alone, not counting the other older sites, demonstrates that sea migration did occur (unless the bands from the Bering Strait ran directly to Chile which is the southernmost part of the Americas—the only other way to explain how they got down there so fast).  Prior to the discovery of these sites, Dr. Thor Heyerdahl, a Norwegian archaeologist and history writer insisted that such naval endeavors were possible.  And, although his colleagues shunned his research and labeled him incompetent, he pursued his writings and eventually proved his point in the most extraordinary manner.

            Born in Larvik, Norway in 1914⁶, Heyerdahl moved to Polynesia in 1937.  Here, he began his interest with Polynesian history thus endeavoring to document the origin of his adopted people.  His book was eventually published in 1952 entitled American Indians in the Pacific⁷.  In this book, he claims that the Polynesian islands were populated by seagoing Indians from Peru⁸.  Naturally, his critics argued that crossing the Pacific would not have been possible during this time given the lack of sturdy seafaring crafts that would withstand the ocean’s currents (not to mention the length of the voyage).  Not to be undone, Thor Heyerdahl sought to prove them wrong by reliving history itself.  With the help of Peruvian natives, he recreated a raft made of balsa wood and rope that was historically used in early Peruvian maritime enterprises.  Christening the craft the “Kon-Tiki,” he then set sail with a handful of men and braved the waters of the Pacific with nothing more than hemp and soggy pieces of wood (see Figure 1). 

            Chronicling his expedition, and eventual triumph, in the book called Kon-Tiki, he endeavored to recreate history hence testing his own theories in how countries may have been prehistorically populated through cross-oceanic voyages.  Although the circumstances were not the same as when the first alleged migrants from Peru set sail, he nonetheless was able to experience in relative detail the historical event he was writing.  Hence, through his journey, he was able to prove that it was possible for such apparently incapable crafts to in fact cross vast oceans.  To say the least, his contribution to academia is such that he was able to show that some historical events may be replicated (much like an experiment).  Moreover, though the circumstances cannot be the same⁹, the experience from the endeavor is still quite valuable for through such experiences, one can understand the subject in a more sympathetic, well-disposed perspective (unlike most “armchair” historians).

            Furthermore, after the success of his “Kon-Tiki” expedition, Heyerdahl eventually proved that sailing to South America from the African port of Safi was possible by riding the North Equatorial currents using papyrus boats (see Figure 2) used in nearby Egypt10. Through this, he was thus able to show that sea migration to the alleged isolated American continent was in fact possible. His critics say that Dr. Thor Heyerdahl was a great adventurer but not much of a historian. I believe, however, to be a good historian, one must intrinsically be an adventurer. One must seek knowledge in lands far flung from comfortable surroundings and thus be able to experience the history one is documenting, be it through experimental recreation or, through imaginative composition.

 

¹Gaddis, John Lewis. 2002 The Landscape of History. (New York: Oxford University Press) p37-40.

²Gaddis, The Landscape, pp. 41.

³ Gaddis, The Landscape, p. 39-40.

⁴ Turnbaugh, William. et.al,. 1999. Understanding Physical Anthropology and Archaeology. (Belmont: Wadsworth Publishing Company), p 355

⁵Turnbaugh et al. , Understanding Physical Anthropology, p 360

⁶GCI. 1997. Dr. Thor Heyerdahl [online].  Green Cross International [cited September 1997]. Available from World Wide Web:(http://www.gci.ch/GreenCrossFamily/board/bios/heyerdahl.html)

⁷GCI. 1997. Dr. Thor Heyerdahl [online].  Green Cross International [cited September 1997]. Available from World Wide Web:(http://www.gci.ch/GreenCrossFamily/board/bios/heyerdahl.html)

⁸GCI. 1997

⁹Gaddis, John Lewis. 2002 The Landscape of History. (New York: Oxford University Press) p26-27

¹⁰Heyerdahl, Thor. 1971.  The Ra Expedition. (New York: Doubleday & Co.) pp12-15

¹¹Knowles, Jesse. 2003. The Bataan Death March [online].  [cited May 21, 2003]. Available from World Wide Web:( http://www.geocities.com/Pentagon/8967/)

 

 

Bibliography

 

 

Gaddis, John Lewis. The Landscape of History. (New York: Oxford University Press, 2002)

 

 

GCI. 1997. Dr. Thor Heyerdahl [online]. Green Cross International [cited September 1997].

Available from World Wide Web: (http://www.gci.ch/GreenCrossFamily/board/bios/heyerdahl.html)

 

 

Heyerdahl, Thor. The Ra Expedition. (New York: Doubleday & Co., 1971). 

 

 

Knowles, Jesse. 2003. The Bataan Death March [online].  [cited May 21, 2003]. Available from

World Wide Web:(http://www.geocities.com/Pentagon/8967/)

 

 

Turnbaugh, William. et.al,. Understanding Physical Anthropology and Archaeology.

(Belmont: Wadsworth Publishing Company, 1999).