What is the name of the traveler who proved the possibility of settling the Pacific Islands from South America?

For centuries, scientists have been interested in how the inhabitants of Polynesia ended up on the islands, how they got there. Archaeological excavations on the islands have shown that the objects of labor and some of the customs of the islanders are very similar to those of the South American Indians. And to prove the possibility of the arrival of Indians on primitive rafts from South America to Polynesia, the Norwegian enthusiast Thor Heyerdahl with like-minded people built a raft similar to the Polynesian ones, and alone crossed the Pacific Ocean, duplicating the path of the ancient settlers.