Document-Based Questions - Debra J. Housel, M.S. Ed. 2008

A Risky Sea Journey
Great Adventures

Easter Island lies in the Pacific Ocean. It is 4,300 miles west of South America and 2,300 miles east of Tahiti—more or less in the middle of nowhere. What makes this island so fascinating is its huge statues. They are called moai. These 600 statues—some as tall as three-story buildings—are carved in the shape of men. Some weigh 90 tons! They stand on platforms all the over the island. A few have fallen and lie in ruins.

Who made these magnificent statues? Why did they do it? How were they built? No one knows. A Norwegian named Thor Heyerdahl thought he knew. He said that people had left South America on rafts and floated to Easter Island. He found similarities in the cultures of the Incas and the ancient islanders. Sweet potatoes grew in both places. Nearly identical spearheads were found in both, too. But the “white chief” was the biggest clue. The islanders told of the white chief Tiki. The Incas had a white chief named Kon-Tiki. Another tribe tried to kill him. He fled from Peru on a raft in the Pacific Ocean. Could he be the same man? People said that no one could survive such a trip.

Heyerdahl wanted to prove his theory. So he went on a risky adventure in 1947. He built a balsa wood raft. Made of nine logs, the Kon-Tiki used no nails. Instead, hemp rope held it together, just like an ancient raft. They loaded supplies on the raft, including fruit and 1,650 gallons of drinking water. Then he and five others risked their lives. They drifted 4,300 miles across the Pacific Ocean on this tiny raft! They sailed from Peru and landed on a deserted island near Tahiti. No ship or plane escorted them. They were on their own.

Their difficult journey took 101 days. As the logs absorbed water, the raft settled lower into the sea. The hot sun scorched the crew. The men’s skin developed salt burns. Flying fish hit them. Sharks attacked the flimsy raft. And a storm that nearly capsized the raft washed some of the men overboard. They had a great struggle to get back on. They all survived, proving that people could survive a raft trip. Still, they hadn’t proven that the islanders came from Peru.

Some people argued that Heyerdahl hadn’t proven a thing. His raft had sails. The Incas had paddles. He had had his raft towed 50 miles into the sea before setting sail to avoid the currents that would have kept him near Peru. The Incas would have had to fight these currents.

Others say Heyerdahl has the story backwards. The Polynesians were good sailors. They went to far-off islands like Hawaii and New Zealand. Maybe the spearheads and sweet potatoes came from Polynesians who sailed to South American and back home again.

The Moai on Easter Island

A Risky Sea Journey

1. Thor Heyerdahl named his raft after the

a. natives on Easter Island.

b. island on which his raft landed.

c. Easter Island natives’ legendary chief.

d. chief from the Incas’ legends.

2. One danger Heyerdahl and his men didn’t face on the raft trip was

a. a lack of food.

b. sunburn.

c. shark attacks.

d. storms.

3. How many of the men survived the sea journey on the raft?

a. 3

b. 4

c. 5

d. 6

4. Jacob Roggeveen believed Thor Heyerdahl’s theory of how Easter Island was settled. True or False? Explain.

5. What do most archaeologists think of Thor Heyerdahl and his raft trip?

6. Which of the three theories on the web page best explains how Easter Island was settled?