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Early Contacts Between Polynesia and America

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 July 2024

Paul Rivet
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A considerable body of corroborative evidence, of a linguistic as well as a cultural order, attests to the authenticity of traditional tales referring to contacts between the islands of Oceania and the American continent during the pre-Columbian era.

In the first place, it is well known that there is close resemblance between some words in the languages of the western watershed of South America and those of Oceania, notably the Polynesian. These similarities have to do with words designating certain cultivated plants and other objects.

Type
Notes and Discussion
Information
Diogenes , Volume 4 , Issue 16 , December 1956 , pp. 78 - 92
Copyright
Copyright © 1956 Fédération Internationale des Sociétés de Philosophie / International Federation of Philosophical Societies (FISP)

References

1. Paul Rivet, "Relations commerciales précolombiennes entre l'Océanie et l'Amérique," Festschrift, Publication in honor of P. Schmidt (Vienna, 1928), 583-609.

2. E. Yacovleff and F. L. Herrera, "El Mundo vegetal de los antiguos Peruanos," Revista del Museo nacional, Vol. III (Lima, 1934), pp. 241-322; Vol. IV (1935), pp. 29-102.

3. Georg Friederici, "Ein Beitrag zur Kenntnis der Tuamotu-1nseln," Mitteilungen des Vereins für Erdkunde zu Leipzig für das Jahr 1900 (Leipzig, 1911), pp. 97-176; "Wissenschaft liche Ergebnisse einer amtlichen Forschungreise nach dem Bismarck-Archipel in Jahre 1908. II. Beiträge zur Völker und Sprachenkunde von Deutsch Neuguinea," Erganzungsheft, No. 5, Mitteilungen aus den deutschen Schutzgebieten (Berlin, 1912).

4. O. F. and R. C. Cook, "The maho or mahahua as a trans-Pacific plant," Journal of the Washington Academy of Sciences, VIII (1918), 153-170.

5. Georg Friederici, Amerikanistisches Wörterbuch, Abhandlungen aus dem Gebiet der Aus landskunde, Band 53, Reihe B, Völkerkunde, Kulturgeschichte und Sprachen, Vol. XXIX (Ham burg, 1947); Francisco J. Santamaria, Diccionario general de americanismos, 3 vols. (Mexico City, 1942).

6. Rodolfo Lenz, Diccionario etimolojico de las voces chilenas derivadas de lenguas indigenas americanas (Santiago, 1904-1910, pp. 228-9; Galvarnio Ampuero, "Repertorio folklorico de Chiloé," Archivos de folklore chileno, fasc. 5, no. 5 [Santiago, 1955[), pp. 54-7.

7. Ernesto Bonilla del Valle, "Pachamanca jaujina," Turismo, 9th year, no. 119 (Lima, May, 1955), p. 6; Manuel E. Ramirez, "Trabajen! Escarba de papas. Pachamanca i amores de campo," Sarasara, 2d year, no. II (Coracora, May, 1943), pp. 9-13; Enrique Palavecino, "Los Indos Uru de Iruito," Runa, Vol. II (Buenos Aires, 1949), pp. 59-88; Sergio Quijada Jara, "Algunas comidas tipicas del valle del Mantaro," Arcivos peuranos de folklore, Ist year, no. I (Cuzco, 1955), pp. 86-93.

8. J. Macmillan Brown, The Riddle of the Pacific (London, 1924), p. 265.

9. Erland Nordenskiöld, "Picture-Writings and Other Documents," Comparative Ethno graphical Studies, Vol. VII (Göteborg, 1930).

10. J. M. Cruxent, "Notes on Venezuelan Archaeology," Selected Papers of the XXIXth International Congress of Americanists, New York, 1949, Vol. III (Chicago, 1952), pp. 280-94.

11. Dick Edgar Ibarra Grasso, La escritura indigena andina (La Paz, 1953).

12. Eric von Hornbostel, "Chinesische Ideogramme in Amerika," Anthropos, Vol. XXV (St.-Gabriel Mödling, 1930), pp. 953-60.

13. Thor Heyerdahl, American Indians in the Pacific (London, 1952), pp. 637-38.

14. One of these precious objects from Vancouver Island was given by the sculptor Lipschitz to the Musée de l'Homme, where it was inexplicably placed in the Oceanian collec tion rather than in the American.

15. J. Imbelloni, "On the diffusion in America of onewa, okewa, paraoa, miti and other relatives of the meré family," Journal of the Polynesian Society, Vol. XXXIX (Wellington, December 1930), pp. 322-45; "Una arma de Oceania en el Neuquèn. Reconstruccion y tipologia del hacha del rio Limay," Humanidades, Vol. XX (La Plata, 1930), pp. 293-316.

16. Miguel Cabello Valboa, Miscelanea antartica. Una historia del Peru antiguo (Lima, 1951), pp. 322-24; Richard Pietschmann, "Geschichte des Inkareiches von Pedro Sarmiento de Gamboa," Abhandlungen der königlichen Gesellschaft der Wissenschaften zu Göttingen, Philo logisch-historische Klasse, new series, Vol. VI, no. 4 (Berlin, 1906).

17. Girolano Benzoni, La historia delMondo Nuovo, folio 164, verso (Venice, 1572).

18. The word "chumbi" forms part of the name of certain natives of Lambayeque be longing to the mučik group: Efui-chumbi, Cocras Chumpi, Farro-chumbi, Coscu-chumbi. Cf. Rubèn Vargas Ugarte, "Los Mochicas y el cacicazgo de Lambayeque," Actas y trabajos cientificos del XXVII: Congreso internacional de Americanistas, 1939, Vol. II (Lima, 1942), pp. 475-82.

19. The Galapagos were doubtless temporarily inhabited, for early navigators discovered very ancient hearths in grottoes there "… no hallaron en ellas ningun indiana, pero si varias cuevas con vestigios de antiquisimos fogones …" Juan Velasco, Historia del Reino de Quito en la America meridional, 3 vols. (Quito, 1841-1844), Vol. I, p. 153. In 1953 Thor Heyerdahl dis covered at James Bay, in two valleys of Santiago Island, and on Santa Cruz and Floreana Islands, bits of pottery which bear a resemblance to the Chimu ceramic work of the Peruvian coast and to the pottery of the Ecuadorian coast; these discoveries show that the above infor mation is correct: Alfred Métraux, "Découvertes archéolgiques aux îles Galapagos," Journal de la Société des Américanistes, new series, Vol. XLII (Paris, 1953), pp. 417-18; Thor Heyer dahl, "Preliminary Report on the discovery of archaeology in the Galapagos Islands," Anals do XXXI Congreso internacional de Americanistas, Vol. II (São Paulo, 1955), pp. 685-97.

20. F. W. Christian, "Early Maori migrations as evidenced by physical geography and language," Report of the sixteenth meeting of the Australian Association for the Advancement of Science, Wellington meeting, January 1923 (Wellington, 1924), 523-35.

21. Thor Heyerdahl, The Kon-Tiki Expedition by Raft across the South Seas (London, 1950).

22. George F. Carter, "Plant Evidence for Early Contacts with America," Southwestern Journal of Anthropology, Vol. VI, no. I (Albuquerque, 1950), pp. 161-62.

23. Ibid., pp. 165-66.

24. Junius Bird, "Radiocarbon Dating," Memoirs of the Society of American Anthropology, no. 8 (Salt Lake City, 1951).

25. Georg Friederici, "Die Heimat der Kokospalme und die vorkolumbische Entdecking Amerikas durch die Malayo-Polynesier," Der Erdball, Vol. I (Berlin, (1925), pp. 71-77.

26. Erland Nordenskiöld, "Origin of the Indian Civilization in South America," Com parative Ethnographical Studies, Vol. VII (Göteberg, 1930), pp. 27-30.

27. Chromosomes are more or less spherical granulations, more or less lengthened rods, or thin filaments often V- or U-shaped, existing in sexual cells.

28. Carl O. Sauer, "Cultivated Plants of South America and Central America," Handbook of South American Indians, Bulletin No. 143, Vol. VI (Washington, Bureau of American Ethnology, 1950), pp. 487-543.

29. Paul Rivet, Selected Papers of the XXIXth International Congress of Americanists, New York, 1949 (Chicago, 1952), Vol. II, p. 16.

30. Erland Nordenskiöld, "The American Indian as an Inventor," The Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland, Vol. LIX (London, 1929), pp. 275-309.