Polynesians in the Americas?

Originally posted by Cryptic Eagle Cap, Your friend had a great job.  I lived in San Diego for about seven years and developed an interest in California indians. Please ask your friend about this possibility. I am very interested in the subject, but have only read one brief reference to it. I can't find anymore information or informed opinions.    Also could you check on one more rumor?  One of my co-workers had a "wierd" brother who spent alot of time in the hills west of Bakersfield and also liked to tell stories. Evidently, he liked looking for previously unknown Native American sites, collecting token souveniers but left most of the artifacts undisturbed as "special places" that only he knew about.   Anyways, he told his brother that he had contacted a band f indians that had chosen to live a completely isolated, pre contact traditional lifestyle in the hills up until the 1970s. They had eluded detection by everyone but him and have since joined mainstream society. Has your friend ever heard anything along these lines. Maybe the guy was basing his story on fact and just exagerrating how isolated they were?   P.S. If you are interested in California tribes and bands,  take a look at this site.  Many of the skills, techniques etc. are California centered.  http://www.primitiveways.com/#anchor702979

He was the Enviromental Planner for the city of Simi Valley, California but he is now retired. I enjoyed hiking with him because he knew so much about the Native plants, wildlife and the native Americans of the area. He could spot an artifact that most people would just think was a rock. I know he taught at the university in Santa Barbara and has two PHDs but I am not sure in what. I have to call him and ask about the mysterious broken and worn sea shells I have found in the Arizona desert. I also found what could be a hide scrapper and a stone that was worked on.

I have  noticed   in a post or two , mention of the difficulty of Polynesians  sailing between Easter island , and the Americas and back .

Originally posted by Cryptic Originally posted by Spey I have  noticed   in a post or two , mention of the difficulty of Polynesians  sailing between Easter island , and the Americas and back . Reasons given as  too far ,  too difficult , lack of provisioning points,  etc.  In regards to trips from Polynesia to Easter Island to Peru, the following questions should be considered: 1.) What were exploration minded, "optimal" Polynesians capable of doing using high quality voyaging canoes and highly skilled navigators? 2.) To what extent did the various Polynesian islands lose, and perhaps regain only to lose again, the exploring interest, the navigation skills and the ability to construct true voyaging canoes?   Jared Diamond states that canoe building skills and raw materials were perishable and that some, or perhaps many polynesian islands became stranded once once the canoes stopped coming. These societies collapsed and were no longer making day trips, let alone voyages. In the end, I think that a small number of trips to Peru were made, but these trips soon stopped. Originally posted by Spey .  I worked on the building of one 30 years ago . I know a few of the  navigators  and I know that it was done .     Rapa Niu to Great Turtle Island ?  , no sweat .   Tahiti to Peru  , its on . Keep your ears open for the news.    That is very interesting. Please tell more about these experiences and coming voyages.

Originally posted by opuslola Dear fellows, Maybe I missed it, but in my speed reading of all of the previous posts, I failed to find any mention of "Aku Aku" or any other published works of a great (if not misplaced) explorer named Thor Heyerdahl! How any of you could continue a discussion of this extent and not mention his contribution(s) is remarkable!

Originally posted by Spey ...     Thor Heyerdah had just about everything wrong that could be got wrong on this one .   Wrong people doing the voyaging . Wrong materials to use to build the vessel . Wrong style of vessel. Wrong voyaging direction .     Need I go on ?   You do realise that his raft was towed out to sea at the beginning of his voyage , and that it crashed onto a rock and broke up at the end of the voyage don't you .   So , the end result is that  Thor Heyerdah did not sail from the land of South America , to the Land of Easter Island .    And that is , as you say ,  able to be remarked about

Actually, the Americans to Polynesia is a thesis sustained by a legend about a massive migration by Tupac Yupanqui (The Inca equivalent of Julius Caesar)