By Jordan Hanssen
“Borders? I have never seen one. But I have heard they exist in the minds of some people.” T.H.
I find it odd, considering I’m writing a book about an adventure that it takes a long time for any adventure yarn to get on my reading list. Thus why it has taken so long for me to discover the awesomeness that Thor Heyerdahl.
There was a well used copy of “The Ra Expeditions” that happened to be floating around my bookshelves I finally picked it up. A day later I realized that Mr. Heyerdahl had gone to sea in a boat basically made of water weeds with an international crew that did not know each other and spoke several different languages. After sailing across the Mid Atlantic from Morocco to within a few hundred miles of land the first boat became so waterlogged they had to get recued. His entire crew decided they had such a good time that they wanted to do it again, and this time reach land. Ten months later that’s exactly what they did. This, in more ways than I have space to list, is downright awesome.
His inspiration for this expedition was to prove a point that ancient cultures could have moved across oceans and with them brought ideas and technology diffusing it to other cultures. This theory is called “Trans Cultural Diffusion” and along with “Pre Columbian Contact” are one of the most contentious issues in the field of anthropology. The other side, and current theory in vogue with the majority of science, are the isolationists. They believe that once humans crossed the bearing strait and the sea levels rose that North & South American culture evolved on its own without any influence from abroad. (Click here for more)
Diffusionist theory has suffered over the past several years because a lot of proponents are crackpots who don’t go about using accepted practices like evidence and scientific method, of which Thor has occasionally, and I feel unfairly been lumped. Thor makes it clear in both Ra and Kon Tiki the limitations of what his trips actually proved: He crossed the ocean in basic boats made of simple materials available to ancient humans so why could ancient man not have done the same thing and with them brought an idea or two? (Click here for more)
Diffusion, by its nature is hard to prove with tangible evidence because it’s hard to date an idea and perhaps it never will. I like the middle ground. I think humans are capable creative creatures, able to come up with ideas independently, but on the other I find it just as hard to say that humans could not have crossed the ocean thousands of years ago and with them brought at least one good (or bad I suppose) idea that could have been adapted by a native culture. Whether or not this idea was a game changer for a culture we might never know.
So whom do we have watching? Diffusionists or Isolationists? I want to know your thoughts and why. Please, no alien theories, this is not the history channel, we have standards around here.
Also, if anyone has a lead on the film documentary of the Ra Expeditions I would love to know. DVD, VHS, does not matter.
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PS: For a more humorous and adult blog about Thor, click here.