The 85-year Norwegian explorer is still going strong. At the moment he is busy with a project in British Colombia in Canada. With using gene-technology he finds new answers to the travelling between the continents in the past.
Photo: Thor Heyerdahl - a great Norwegian explorer.
The Vikings didn't arrive first to America, but seamen from south-east Asia, says Thor Heyerdahl. More than 60 years after Heyerdahl started his research, he can now find evidence in DNA-analysis. He proves his theories that there has been a wide contact between the continents for thousands of years ago (Aftenposten the 5th June 2000).
For a long time he was alone about these theories, and had to fight hard to obtain support from other scientific people. But as I remember from James Fenimore Cooper's classic book The Last of the Mohicans, theories about that Indians invaded from Asia were launched already then.
This book was written in 1826. This author was well known for his knowledge about the Indians. Here is a quote from his book: "Your fathers came from the setting sun, crossed the big river (Mississippi), fought the people of the country, and took the land; and mine came from the red sky of the morning, over the salt lake, and did their work much after the fashion that had been set them by yours. Then let God judge the matter between us, and friends spare their words (comment from the main character Natty Bumppo, also called Hawk-eye and with other names)!" The scout (the eye of the hunter) alludes to a tradition, which is very popular among the tribes of the Atlantic states.
Evidence of their Asiatic origin is deduced from the circumstance, though great uncertainty hangs over the whole history of the Indians (note from The Last of the Mohicans).
Thor Heyerdahl`s book from 1952 about the Indians living on the coastline in British Colombia, will now be updated and extended with new knowledge.
It is very interesting to visit Indian tribes because they are so various and colourful. Indians don't have a centralized culture. They are characterised by distinguished cultures all over the American continent. As we can see, the history of the world rewrites continuously. What we believed we knew about the history today doesn't fit in to the picture tomorrow.
New methods, techniques and exchange of information, bring new reliable knowledge to the world. From our view in Travel Explorations, the history shows that it has been communication between people from different continents, but it also shows that people on different places have developed civilisations independent of each other, for example growing of soil, seeding of crops, medical treatment (ex. use of plants as medicine), building of pyramids, boats and transport.
It shows also that people on different places have different qualities. All people on the earth are important and are useful in their contribution. Seen in this light; Darwin's controversial theory about that one race is better than other is definitely not valid.
Thor Heyerdahl combines knowledge from different places he has visited. Travelling is the most important activity to achieve knowledge and build trustworthy relations with other people. Just see what Thor Heyerdahl has accomplished during his carrier!
Stein Morten Lund, 5 June 2000
Additional information
Read more about the great explorer Thor Heyerdahl on our website.
- Is he the world's greatest now living explorer?
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