Early work by Thor Heyerdahl of Oslo, Norway a Viking Norwegian proposed the origins of Polynesians from South America. Kon Tiki was the raft of which took 101 days to reach Eastern Polynesia from South America in 1947. Heyerdahl's theory at the time 1947 was based on the physical properties of the ocean currents allowing travels or drifting migrations of species from the Americas into Eastern Polynesia. Heyerdahl's theory supports the presence of certain plants (ocean drifters) common in coastal Americas and in Eastern Polynesia. The same understanding of ocean currents puzzled Captain James Cook when he first arrived to Polynesia in 1700s. James Cook soon learned from the Polynesian natives of Tahiti that the ocean currents & winds switched periodically during the year allowing counter travels & migrations, allowing Polynesian voyages from West to East Polynesia and vice versa.

Thor Heyerdahl at the time of Kon Tiki in 1947 had not studied Western Polynesia specifically the oldest Polynesian area of Samoa & Tonga 2000BC. Thor Heyerdahls ideas of Kon Tiki were at the time biased of inclinations of South America & Eastern Polynesia of where he resided and worked. Kon Tiki proved one thing, various species can reach Eastern Polynesia from the Americas, hence we find common flora species in coastal Americas and Eastern Polynesia, surely Heyerdahls theory makes good common sense here.

However according to latest scientific genetic studies 2002 (GENETICS) and 2000 (PNAS) and ancient Polynesian oratory lineages, unique genetic Polynesians migrated from ...................