Which of the researchers and travelers proved the possibility of human settlement of the Pacific Islands

Which of the researchers and travelers proved the possibility of human settlement of the Pacific Islands from South Amirica?

Thor Heyerdahl was the first of the travelers to prove the possibility of settling the Polynesian Islands in the Pacific Ocean by the inhabitants of South America. He was a Norwegian scientist and traveler. To confirm his hypothesis, he and some of his associates built a raft, which they called “Kon-Tiki”, and in 1947 set off on a journey from Peru. They reached some of the Polynesian Islands in a few months’ voyage. By this, Heyerdahl sought to prove the similarity of some Polynesian peoples with South American ones.