THE KON-TIKI ARGUMENT

New Zealand Listener, Volume 28, Issue 718, 17 April 1953, Page 5

THE KON-TIKI ARGUMENT

Sir,-Is "Doodlebug" really serious when he describes Dr. Duff's review and his own echoing as calm appraisal? I have already countered several of the objections put forward in the original review and "Doodlebug’s" letters, e.g., the bow-and-arrow argument for one. Do I win here by default? Is this scientific method, to ignore a successful demonstration and continue to introduce new objections, thoughtless ones? Moa-hunter stone and bone artifacts, all that remain, their woodwork having vanished, show similarities with Kwa-. kiutl culture elements. The same applies to many aspects and characteristics of Maori culture: there are similarities. But this proves nothing. It is when the number and quality of. such similarities become striking that we are justified in assuming them to be more than accidental. With such evidence as Heyerdahl presents in his book, plus evidence of blood-group analysis (not yet mentioned in any New Zealand review, as far as I know), we may not be so very far from proof after all. At the moment, however, we who try to keep an open mind, are merely examining the possibilities of a hitherto neglected place of origin for one element of the Polynesian racial complex, namely the North-West Coast of America, and all evidence must be examined, even the discovery of proto-Polynesian .artifacts along the Southern Asian littoral, the possible migration-route to America and thence down to Hawaii-the green jade adze blade from China? May I point out that I myself called Heyderdahl’s contribution an hypothesis. By what process of reasoning does "Doodlebug" come to assume I accept Heyerdahl as an authority? No, I like Hevyerdahl’s reasoning better, that’s all.

VIRACOCHA

(Timaru).