A case has also been made for contact with the Klamath Indians of California, with the transfer of sewn boats and compound fish-hooks, but this remains controversial.Ĭo-authored with T. A third phase, relatively late, may have been between New Zealand and other parts of Southern Polynesia and Chile, resulting in transfers of types of ceremonial axe, the chicken and the settlement of Chilote. Chickens travelled to South America and are found in the Chilean archaeological record. Sailing rafts and characteristic ‘birdman’ images are found in Ecuador. The second contacts were between South America and Eastern Polynesia, and resulted in the adoption of the sweet potato, the bottle-gourd and types of fish-poison. This must have taken place early in the colonisation of SE Asia and involved the transfer of the blow-pipe, the backstrap loom and probably ikat weaving techniques. The paper will propose a) That in all cases, contact was through voyages by Austronesian or SE Asian mariners b) That contact was opportunistic and probably not part of an established trade route, hence the lack of permanent Austronesian settlement in the New World There are three fairly clear phases of Austronesian contact, with the earliest between the Philippines and Meso-America.

The challenge is now rather to assign dates, routes and potential cultural transfers. However, an expansion of evidence from genetics and archaeobotany has made contact certain and provides great credibility to previously assumed material culture transfers.

The notion of trans-Pacific contact between Asia and Meso-America was formerly confined to the speculative fringe of prehistory.

Thor heyerdahl museum