In brief
A team led by Yousuke Kaifu from the University of Tokyo used experimental archaeology to explore ancient maritime migration, crafting a replica canoe and relying on traditional methods to traverse the sea, revealing insights into early human navigation practices.
In 2019, a team of Japanese researchers undertook a fascinating journey into the past, attempting to uncover the maritime skills of ancient humans. This expedition involved crafting a replica of a Paleolithic canoe to test theories about how humans over 30,000 years ago navigated the treacherous Kuroshio current from Taiwan to southern Japanese islands such as Okinawa—an endeavor that drew parallels to an earlier, famous voyage by Norwegian adventurer Thor Heyerdahl in 1947.Heyerdahl had set out on his balsa wood raft, the Kon-Tiki, to validate his hypothesis that ancient South Americans could have reached Polynesia. His journey across the Pacific showcased not only personal courage but also the possibility of long-distance ocean travel by ancient cultures. In a similar spirit, Dr. Yousuke Kaifu, an anthropologist from the University of Tokyo, aimed to demonstrate how prehistoric humans could navigate using natural indicators without the aid of maps or metal tools.In studies published in the scholarly journal Science, researchers explored these ancient navigational methods. They performed advanced ocean modeling to recreate numerous virtual voyages, assessing various seasons, starting locations, and paddling techniques to identify realistic crossing routes. One significant portion of the research involved the actual voyage undertaken by Dr. Kaifu's crew, a group of five that included both men and women. They paddled a 25-foot canoe, named Sugime, over a stretch of 122 nautical miles from eastern Taiwan to Yonaguni Island.During their 45-hour journey, the crew relied on the sun, stars, and wind for navigation, frequently losing sight of their destination island. Dr. Kaifu emphasized that the lack of physical evidence of ancient maritime travels necessitated their reliance on experimental archaeology—using historical crafting methods to gain insights into these early navigational feats.Peter Bellwood, an expert archeologist from the Australian National University, supported the findings, claiming that the successful crossing between islands highlighted one of Homo sapiens' earliest and longest migrations, surpassed only by the exodus to Australia from eastern Indonesia around 50,000 years ago. This groundbreaking research shines a light on the astonishing capabilities of early humans in the context of navigation and maritime migration.
