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I think almost everyone knows what balsa wood is – the thin sheets or blocks of soft, flexible wood that one uses for crafts (e.g., fins for model rockets). Most people probably do not know that balsa trees are grown in the rain forests of South America and can become quite large, up to several feet in diameter. The density of balsa wood is so little, about 20 % of water, that large rafts can be made from large logs. In fact, “balsa” is the Spanish word for “raft!”
Norwegian anthropologist Thor Heyerdahl lived from 1914 to 2002. He had a theory that there was South American influence on the Polynesian cultures, from the Tiki people, who were connected to the Incan civilization, via boat travel from South America to the Polynesian islands. We know from other parts of the world that there were solid connections between ancient civilizations such as China and Rome, so why not in the Pacific, too?
Like a good scientist, Heyerdahl would have liked to have had experimental evidence to support his theory. Not having time travel available, he did the next best thing. In 1947, he recruited helpers to build a raft out of balsa logs, similar to old Spanish accounts of Incan rafts, using only materials that would have been available 500 to 1000 years ago. He did take along a radio for the sake of safety. Then he and his crew set out on the raft they called Kon-Tiki, leaving from the western shores of South America and finally ending up, months and 5000 miles later, on the shores of the Polynesian island, Raroia. He had not proved his theory to be correct but he had proved that such a voyage would have been possible for ancient South American people.
Heyerdahl wrote the popular-level book Kon-Tiki about his expedition. Not only was this a scientific expedition, it was an exciting adventure. Being as close to the water as a raft is, and having no noisy engine, enabled the Kon-Tiki’s crew to closely observe animal and plant life and experience the Pacific Ocean in a very intimate manner. There were dangerous days and peaceful days, and Heyerdahl describes both with compelling prose. The book is illustrated by photographs taken at the time on the raft. The reading level for this book is high school and above, though a motivated and interested middle school student could enjoy it, too. I love adventure books and especially ones that really took place and are told by the main participant! The Kon-Tiki raft voyage was something of a modern-day Odyssey. Now you understand why knowing the classics is so important for cultural literacy – you would not grasp the significance of using the word “Odyssey” if you didn’t know Homer’s epic poem!