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| "Daniella": photo, digital collage. |
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Way Back When?
Going through drawers, I am finding old, old work! It will go in the trash, but I thought I might share to get a blog out of it? They show steps in making postcards way back when. You'll see the starting ink drawings, many of which are problematic, and how I tried to save them. I was at the mercy of my initial drawing. Inexpensive kids watercolors and then some junk collage sometimes bailed me out. Not all winners, but a few turned out okay.
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| Marty, Dennis Fung, me, Mitchell Ninomiya, John Yamasaki |
Demura Sensei's Mission Viejo Dojo Blackbelts
visit and train @ Demura Sensei's Costa Mesa Dojo
1987
The deep Pacific was never a barrier to the masters of the stars. Long before Spanish galleons attempted the crossing, a different kind of vessel navigated the vast currents between the islands and the South American coast.
History records a period around 1000 CE when Polynesian expansion reached its zenith. These sailors possessed a sophisticated understanding of swells and bird migrations that allowed them to find tiny specks of land in a desert of blue.
While history books often treat the Americas as a sealed vault until 1492, the biological evidence tells a more complex story. The presence of the sweet potato, or Ipomoea batatas, in Polynesia predates any European arrival.
This plant is native to the Andean region of South America. Its appearance in the central Pacific suggests a physical transfer that requires human agency, specifically a return voyage over thousands of miles.
Linguistic similarities offer another startling clue. The Proto-Polynesian word for sweet potato is kumala, which bears an uncanny resemblance to the Quechua word kumara used in the Andes.
Modern genetic sequencing of ancient samples confirms that these plants share a common lineage. The DNA does not lie, it indicates a single introduction point rather than a natural drift by wind or waves.
Scientists and historians continue to debate whether the Polynesians reached the coast or if South American indigenous groups ventured westward. The sheer scale of Polynesian maritime technology makes the former increasingly likely.
Skeptics argue that the logistics of such a journey defy the capabilities of the era, yet modern replicas of these double-hulled canoes have successfully completed the route. The technology was capable, the motivation remains a mystery.
The sweet potato is more than a crop, it is a living map of prehistoric globalism. We are only beginning to understand how many times the world was discovered before the maps were officially drawn.
A 3+ minute video, Mrs. Hughes , here.
Just because ...
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| White-browed Tit-Warbler |
Thursday's Smiles ...
Hoping you see all the good things in your day.
