Task: Story Composition
Input (English): Fact1: Polynesia had been settled by peoples migrating from west, Fact2: people from South America settled islands in pre-Columbian times, Fact3: Heyerdahl 's theory about origin of Polynesian people is bolstered by Polynesian folklore Noting similarities between statues found in South America and Polynesian moai, Fact4: Polynesian folklore tells of ancient tribe called Hanau epe, Fact5: crew 's scientific reenactment of legendary voyage from coast of Peru to Polynesian islands is met with setbacks in form of storms sharks and other perils of open sea
Output (English): The film is the dramatized story of Thor Heyerdahl and his KonTiki expedition of 1947. While the prevailing theories of the time held that Polynesia had been settled by peoples migrating from the west, Heyerdahl, an experimental ethnographer and adventurer, sets out to prove his theory that people from South America settled the islands in preColumbian times. Noting similarities between statues found in South America and the Polynesian moai, Heyerdahls theory about the origin of the Polynesian people is bolstered by Polynesian folklore that tells of an ancient tribe called the Hanau epe that are said to have once inhabited Easter Island. While most experts hold that such a voyage across the vast ocean is unlikely to have ever been successful, in order to illustrate that there were no technological limitations that would have inhibited the ancient peoples from making the journey, Heyerdahl puts his theory to the test and builds a balsawood raft using the same techniques that would have been utilized 1,500 years ago by the indigenous peoples of the region. Though he himself cannot swim or sail, he sets out on the treacherous 4,300 nautical mile–journey across the Pacific from Peru to Polynesia aboard the small raft, along with his crew of five men and a macaw named Lorita. During the three months aboard the primitive vessel named after Inca god of sun and storm, KonTiki, the crews scientific reenactment of the legendary voyage from the coast of Peru to the Polynesian islands is met with setbacks in the form of storms, sharks, and other perils of the open sea.