# Polynesians traveled West from South America? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 26, 2026, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polynesians-traveled-west-from-south-america/1031192 "2026-06-26T03:02:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2026, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polynesians-traveled-west-from-south-america/1031192/21 "2026-06-29T12:43:36Z")
Well, little reason other than being able to clearly see that it wasn’t a little island. Even aside from the subtle clues like the shape of the waves, which Polynesian sailors knew about, you’ve got the Andes right there. From just off the coast of South America, anywhere on the continent, you’re going to see more length of mountain range than would fit on any island. ---
**Author:** ![md-2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9d8465/32.png) [@md-2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md-2000)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2026, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polynesians-traveled-west-from-south-america/1031192/22 "2026-06-29T12:58:46Z")
> [@Pleonast](#): > > Do you mean east? Doh! > [@Zakalwe](#): > > But if they made it there and NOT back, they could have left the genetic legacy without the folklore stories. True. So, likelihood is any such exploration did not make it back. Or, they got halfway, saw no sign of land, and returned. How far would explorers go before they give up? And at a certain point, there were no longer enough trees to make ocean-going canoes. Legend has it one chief decided to leave the Cook Islands and head to Easter Islands to colonize (2 big canoes); the implication is that the land was already known about from Polynesian exploration. I assume it would be prudent to explore or know where you’re going before loading up the whole clan and sailing off. It’s all speculation at this point. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2026, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polynesians-traveled-west-from-south-america/1031192/23 "2026-06-29T13:09:55Z")
> [@md-2000](#): > > True. So, likelihood is any such exploration did not make it back. So are you saying it is more likely the less capable South American mariners were responsible for making a one-way journey with the sweet potatoes than the Polynesians making a round trip? ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2026, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polynesians-traveled-west-from-south-america/1031192/24 "2026-06-29T17:14:13Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Well, little reason other than being able to clearly see that it wasn’t a little island. Even aside from the subtle clues like the shape of the waves, which Polynesian sailors knew about, you’ve got the Andes right there. From just off the coast of South America, anywhere on the continent, you’re going to see more length of mountain range than would fit on any island. Which raises an interesting side-point. The Polynesians knew about low coral atolls ~ a mile across, nearly flat islands that are little more than overgrown sandbars or limestone outcrops a couple / few miles across, and also small but tall volcanic islands like Pitcairn that are also a couple / few miles across. Their entire world was _big_ water and these kinds of small land. Can you imagine the confusion and wonderment when they first ran into a continent that stretched beyond their field of view in both directions and did so even if they ventured 20 or 50 or 100 miles along the shore in either direction. WTF did we just find? Our planet is much, _much_ stranger than we thought. And the sight of 10,000-plus foot tall mountains and lots of them. Who knew??!?! ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2026, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polynesians-traveled-west-from-south-america/1031192/25 "2026-06-29T18:54:04Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Can you imagine the confusion and wonderment when they first ran into a continent that stretched beyond their field of view in both directions and did so even if they ventured 20 or 50 or 100 miles along the shore in either direction. WTF did we just find? Our planet is much, _much_ stranger than we thought. And the sight of 10,000-plus foot tall mountains and lots of them. Who knew??!?! There would have been the same issue, albeit on a smaller scale, when Polynesians reached Aotearoa (New Zealand) and Hawaii. Didn’t keep them from settling those places. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2026, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polynesians-traveled-west-from-south-america/1031192/26 "2026-06-29T19:12:42Z")
I mean, their ancestors (at some point) came from a continent, too, so they might have had some sort of legends or folklore about big lands. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2026, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polynesians-traveled-west-from-south-america/1031192/27 "2026-06-29T22:05:32Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > There would have been the same issue, albeit on a smaller scale, when Polynesians reached Aotearoa (New Zealand) and Hawaii. Didn’t keep them from settling those places. Chances are, they also reached Australia (after all, it’s much easier to find than Easter Island), but like South America they never settled there. ---
**Author:** ![md-2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9d8465/32.png) [@md-2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md-2000)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2026, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polynesians-traveled-west-from-south-america/1031192/28 "2026-06-30T01:35:22Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > Didn’t keep them from settling those places. Likely because there were no previous occupants? Whereas, in Australia there were. I suppose the problem is - if a land is already inhabited to its capacity, there’s probably not a lot of opportunity to accomodate newcomers, with the risk of having to defend against a huge horde protecting their territory (That works better if you have fiearms and metal swords). The continental coast across from the island does not look particularly hospitable for raising crops. > [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > So are you saying it is more likely the less capable South American mariners were responsible for making a one-way journey with the sweet potatoes than the Polynesians making a round trip? One of life’s mysteries. Either explanation works. The question is why they did not take regular advantage of the connection - other than perhaps a distance that exceeds most of the typical Polynesian voyages, and not much to trade. (and eventually they ran out of logs for canoes). ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2026, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polynesians-traveled-west-from-south-america/1031192/29 "2026-06-30T03:50:36Z")
It’s possible that the potatoes survived the voyage while the humans did not. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2026, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polynesians-traveled-west-from-south-america/1031192/30 "2026-06-30T13:19:20Z")
And it might not have been an intentional trip. They could have set out on what was meant to be an along-the-coast trade journey, and gotten caught by an unexpected storm that Gilliganed them (and it was only by luck that they reached any island at all). Unlikely, maybe, but there are a lot of cases of living things spreading to some place through a single unlikely journey. ---
**Author:** ![ASL\_v2.0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asl_v2.0/32/3525_2.png) [@ASL\_v2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASL_v2.0)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2026, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polynesians-traveled-west-from-south-america/1031192/31 "2026-06-30T13:26:56Z")
It’s also possible it wasn’t a trip at all and that seeds were naturally dispersed, such as by being carried out to sea along with natural rafts of accumulated vegetation that then drifted to an island. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2026, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polynesians-traveled-west-from-south-america/1031192/32 "2026-06-30T13:38:00Z")
There is linguistic evidence that sweet potatoes migrated by human trade. Apparently only one person saw fit to click the linked article I posted in post #5. ---
**Author:** ![OldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3bc359/32.png) [@OldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldGuy)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2026, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polynesians-traveled-west-from-south-america/1031192/33 "2026-06-30T18:01:46Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > Apparently only one person saw fit to click the linked article I posted in post #5. Just wondering. How can you tell this? ---
**Author:** ![echoreply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/echoreply/32/3641_2.png) [@echoreply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/echoreply)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2026, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polynesians-traveled-west-from-south-america/1031192/34 "2026-06-30T18:18:59Z")
> [@ASL\_v2.0](#): > > it wasn’t a trip at all and that seeds were naturally dispersed There is evidence of this. From [the Wikipedia page](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweet_potato_cultivation_in_Polynesia) about this, is a [2018 article](https://doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.cub.2018.03.020) which used genetic analysis as evidence that South American and Polynesian sweet potatoes diverged over 100,000 years ago, long before humans had arrived in either area. > [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > There is linguistic evidence that sweet potatoes migrated by human trade This [other paper](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-020-2487-2) (also just mined from Wikipedia) suggests genetic evidence of a single contact event between Native American and Polynesian people about 1200 AD. They find that there are Native American genetic markers in the Polynesians that are associated with European markers, and represent Europeans and Native Americans mixing with the Polynesians at the same time. They also find some Native American markers which are unrelated to any European markers, and predate Polynesian settlement of Rapa Nui. It is extremely clear that Polynesians are not Native Americans who traveled west, but this paper shows good evidence of a single contact event (which produced children) between Polynesian and Native Americans. The genetics can’t distinguish between some Native Americans traveling to a Pacific island, possibly before the Polynesians arrived at that island, and Polynesians traveling to South American and then returning with some new guests or children. It is entirely possible for sweet potatoes to have made their own journey across the Pacific 100,000 years ago, and for a small group of Native Americans to have made a similar journey 800 years ago (on their own, or with Polynesians). ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2026, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polynesians-traveled-west-from-south-america/1031192/35 "2026-06-30T18:24:35Z")
> [@OldGuy](#): > > Just wondering. How can you tell this? At least on my laptop browser, when someone includes a link in their post, and at least one person clicks directly on the link, a little gray circle, with a number in it, shows up next to the link, which indicates how many times the link has been clicked. (Right now, that circle in Elmer’s post has a “3” in it.) ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2026, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polynesians-traveled-west-from-south-america/1031192/36 "2026-06-30T18:51:25Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > Chances are, they also reached Australia (after all, it’s much easier to find than Easter Island), but like South America they never settled there. Parts of the shores of Australia are pretty inhospitable. > [@md-2000](#): > > Likely because there were no previous occupants? Whereas, in Australia there were. I suppose the problem is - if a land is already inhabited to its capacity, there’s probably not a lot of opportunity to accomodate newcomers, with the risk of having to defend against a huge horde protecting their territory (That works better if you have fiearms and metal swords). The continental coast across from the island does not look particularly hospitable for raising crops. Right. Note the Norse had metal swords, but still decided to skip North America. ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2026, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polynesians-traveled-west-from-south-america/1031192/37 "2026-06-30T19:10:35Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Right. Note the Norse had metal swords, but still decided to skip North America. Greenland and Newfoundland are part of North America. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2026, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polynesians-traveled-west-from-south-america/1031192/38 "2026-06-30T19:20:42Z")
> [@Gorsnak](#): > > Greenland and Newfoundland are part of North America. Yes, Newfoundland is, but the Norse only stayed for a reactively brief time. In a geologic sense, Greenland is considered to be, yes. The Norse settlement of L’Anse aux Meadows was- at most 100 years and likely less. > **[L'Anse aux Meadows | Norse activity](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%27Anse_aux_Meadows#Norse_activity)** > > The Norse settlement at L'Anse aux Meadows has been dated to approximately 1000 CE (carbon dating estimates 990–1050, with a mean carbon date of 1014), an assessment that tallies with the relative dating of artifact and structure types. A 2021 Nature study, using radiocarbon analysis of three separate tree ring samples and evidence from the anomaly in atmospheric 14C concentrations in the year 993, pinpointed 1021 as a date of Norse activity at L'Anse aux Meadows. > Anthropologist John Steinberg has suggested the site may have been “occupied at least sporadically for perhaps 20 years” by the Norse.[[22]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%27Anse_aux_Meadows#cite_note-Smithsonian-23) [Eleanor Barraclough](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eleanor_Rosamund_Barraclough "Eleanor Rosamund Barraclough")[[23]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%27Anse_aux_Meadows#cite_note-24) suggests the site was not a permanent settlement but a temporary boat repair facility.[[24]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%27Anse_aux_Meadows#cite_note-ParksCanada2017-25) She notes there are no findings of burials, tools, agriculture or animal pens—suggesting the inhabitants abandoned the site in an orderly fashion.[[25]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%27Anse_aux_Meadows#cite_note-26) According to a 2019 _[Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proceedings_of_the_National_Academy_of_Sciences_of_the_United_States_of_America "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America")_ study, there may have been Norse activity in L’Anse aux Meadows for as long as a century.[[26]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%27Anse_aux_Meadows#cite_note-27) In other areas the Norse were driven out. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2026, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polynesians-traveled-west-from-south-america/1031192/39 "2026-06-30T20:32:20Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > In other areas the Norse were driven out. Not necessarily. There was a likely Norse trading post on Baffin island called Tanfield Valley. Unfortunately, archeological exploration stopped there in 2012 before it was complete, so we don’t know what years it was in use or how it ended. Or even if it was a full time settlement or just seasonally occupied. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2026, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polynesians-traveled-west-from-south-america/1031192/40 "2026-06-30T22:38:38Z")
Bear in mind that the Inuit, who discovered America around the same time as the Vikings, did stick around - but only in places that the Native Americans/First Nations considered inhospitable. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polynesians-traveled-west-from-south-america/1031192.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polynesians-traveled-west-from-south-america/1031192.md?page=3)