Study of origins of Polynesians

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 32838, 11 February 1972, Page 8

Study of origins of Polynesians

Raymond Burr, the actor who starred in the “Perry Mason” and “Ironside” television series, has been investigating a different type of mystery—the origin of the Polynesian race.

Burr appears in, and narrates, a film which has been a year in the making by an Australian company. In Christchurch yesterday where final footage was filmed in the Canterbury Museum the producer, Mr S. Fist, said that in the process of filming Mr Burr became very interested in the prehistory of Polynesia. “He has been fascinated with Polynesia for many years and has an island in the Fijian group where he spends at least six months of every year. We found him a delightful person to work with,” said Mr Fist. Mr Fist, who specialises in making documentary films for television, said the 16mm film, which will be in colour and will run for 90 minutes, has already been sold to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and has been partly financed by the Australian Government.

Three theories

“What we are doing is looking at the theories and the facts behind the theories, and interviewing the experts, but not drawing any conclusions. You could say that as the narrator Mr Burr will be a sort of judge but the verdict will be left to the viewer.” Mr Fist said three basic theories on the origin of the Polynesian race had been studied. These are:

The Melanesian theory (and the one most generally accepted) which had the people coming out of Asia along the Micronesian route and out from Fiji to the rest of the Pacific; The Micronesian version (of which Dr R. S. Puff, the director of the Canterbury Museum is the main proponent) that they came out of the Philippines through the Micronesian atoll chain into central Polynesia; The Thor Heyerdal theory, and this is in two parts. The first is that there

was an initial migration from Peru to Easter Island and from there into Polynesia and this is the most publicised, mainly through the voyage of the Kon Tiki raft

According to the second part of this theory there was a later migration of Asian people from British Columbia who came out by way of Hawaii and Tahiti to New Zealand.

In the course of filming Mr Fist, his three-man crew, and Mr Burr have journeyed across the Pacific visiting all the major island groups, North and South America, and Europe.

Film’s budget

The film’s budget is $85,000. For the last three weeks the three-man crew has spent much time in the North Island visiting Maori archaelogical sites and meeting experts on Polynesia, of whom New Zealand has more than any other country. Mr Fist- was very impressed with the Canterbury Museum which “is in the top class and could well become a major centre of Polynesian studies.”

The last reel shot yesterday was an interview with Dr Duff. In the completed film the interview will appear as if between Dr Duff and Mr Burr although Mr Fist stood in for the latter yesterday.

In about two months Mr Burr will do the narration of the film in Hollywood, said Mr Fist who, with his cameramen, left the city by air for Sydney last night