Solved!

Heyerdahl and Easter Island Mysteries

3 Norwegian “explorer”, Mr. hor Heyerdahl, who hit the orld’s headlines by drifting on ; from Chile to French Oceania ling that this proved that the esians came from South lea), and maintained his on by writing books and ing, has again achieved ious publicity by claiming to “solved the mysteries of r Island.” 5, presumably, will help con bly in the sale of a new book [r. Heyerdahl, about Easter lerto Easter Island has been s for three mysteries—the ng of the numerous huge monuments (mostly shaped le torso and head of a man) dot the central plateaus; the ;r in which these masses of were transported and placed sition; and the meaning of :ripts, engraved on a series oden tablets. es of scientists have attacked roblems, but all have been [—especially by the scripts. has been a persistent tion by theorists that there lationship between the Easter and others found in South isia and in North America; > proof whatever. *ver, Mr. Heyerdahl has them all the way. ays he went in 1956 to live the Easter Islanders ly, there is only a miserable sian remnant there—less ,000, in the western village igaroa); acquired a guardian which he calls Aku-Aku; and iduced the natives to go out tone axes into the ancient luarries. made a stone figure for Then, using two logs and stones, they transported a e status some distance, and it into position. “That”, e irrepressible Mr. Heyerdahl gasping American reporters, d us all we needed to know how the ancient natives the technical problems of the -tues.”

Heyerdahl said that he and u were taken to secret caves and shown unique s, and thus there was 3 to him the simple but usly held secret of what the tatues meant. He says they icestral figures representing tiiefs.”

It is by inference only that Mr.

Heyerdahl suggests he has solved the mystery of the scripts—which have defeated all the experts ever since they were discovered nearly a century ago.

There were less than a score of these inscriptions, on wood, any way; and most of them have been long since removed, and are housed in the world’s principal museums —safe from the ingenious and indefatigable Mr. Heyerdahl and his guardian spirit.

Anyway, a typical book for the wonderment of the great American public seems assured.