1. Cruise of the Kawa (Full title: Cruise of the Kawa: Wanderings in the South Seas)

Title of a satirical book about a South Pacific expedition.

Cruise of the Kawa: Wanderings in the South Seas was published by G.P. Putnam & Sons in 1921. The book documented the 'adventures' of one Walter E. Traprock and the crew of the boat Kawa.

Traprock and crew allegedly explored the South Pacific, discovering an assortment of unusual animals. The highlight of the expedition was the discovery of the hitherto unknown Filbert Islands. Among the discoveries made by the crew was that of the Fatu-Liva bird. The bird supposedly laid square eggs with unusual markings, that looked remarkably like dice. A feather in the nest was supposedly placed there by the mother bird to identify the nest and to indicate to her mate that she would soon return.

The book was a hoax, a satire of explorations in the South Seas. However, as the book circulated, many people actually believed the book to be factual. Sven Kirsten said that the author George S. Chappell (using the pseudonym Walter Traprock) was actually invited by the National Geographic Society to give a lecture about the findings in the book.

The Cruise of the Kawa revealed how little knowledge the average American had about the Pacific in the 1920s. The book is also an example in the Proto-Tiki era, of the faux science/culture surrounding American beliefs about Polynesia.





Text of Cruise of the Kawa: Project Gutenberg




Updated December 31, 2004