Tupaia (Polynesians)

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Tupaia (* 1725 on Ra'iatea of the Society Islands of French Polynesia ; † November 11, 1770 in Jakarta , then Batavia) accompanied James Cook on his first South Sea voyage (1768–1771) in 1769 .

Some time ago it was discovered that some of the pictures Cook brought with him were from Tupaia. In addition, because Tupai was navigating the Endeavor with great certainty through Polynesia, Tupai was asked to draw nautical charts from there. Unfamiliar with writing and unfamiliar with the European nautical charts, he drew maps with astonishing accuracy, which, however, were not deciphered in their system until after 2000.

Life

Tahiti

Matavai Bay, 1776

On April 14, 1769, some men of the Endeavor entered Tahiti (original name Otaheite ), the largest island of French Polynesia, at the invitation of the locals . After initial difficulties - the understanding of property differed from that of the Europeans, so that one Tahitian was killed - friendly relations were established with the local rulers. In this way, the botanist Joseph Banks met Tupaia and supported his wish to travel on the Endeavor. Banks was not clear about Tupaia's social rank; he considered Tupaia to be a higher-ranking personality. He was valuable to the crew because he knew and had traveled to most of the over 70 islands in Tahiti.

On July 12, 1769, Tupaia and his servant Taiata, a boy, entered the Endeavor in Matavai Bay . The ship set sail on July 13, 1769. Tupaia's knowledge made it possible to exchange food and drinking water for metal nails, to research the local conditions on land and to map the region around Tahiti. On August 14th, the Endeavor left Tahiti and then sailed to New Zealand, 4,000 km away .

New Zealand

Māori from the time of Tupaia, with facial tattoo

Land was sighted on October 7, 1769, and on October 8, Cook's men and the Māori made first contact on land. These attacked the guards of the landing craft and suffered a death in the process. The next day there was another landing, and Tupaia was able to establish linguistic contact. The trade of food for iron nails, which was so successful in Tahiti, did not succeed because the Māori showed no interest in metal. Instead, they were interested in exchanging weapons, which could only be prevented by shooting dead and wounded. The next morning Cook went ashore with some of his men. Another confrontation threatened and another Māori was shot. Since Cook absolutely needed drinking water, he tried this time by a hostage situation in which four Māori died, to force the good behavior of the Māori , which ultimately succeeded. This place is now called Young Nick's Head after 12-year-old Nicholas Young who first saw the place .

During her onward journey, the Endeavor was accompanied by war canoes ( waka ) of the Māori . As a deterrent and warning, the crew kept firing cannons, rifles and pistols. On October 15, Māori Tupaia's servants tried to kidnap Taiata, but this was prevented. The place was named after this incident Cape Kidnappers .

Cook went ashore at Ship Cove ( Queen Charlotte Sound ) and stayed there from January 20, 1770 to February 6, to determine whether the land discovered was the southern continent of Terra Australis . Here he and his men were warmly received, and it turned out that Tupaia and the Māori had common ancestors, coming from a land called Heawye .

Australia

On April 19, 1770, the Australian coast came into view. On April 29, the first shore leave took place in what was later called Botany Bay by Cook, near present-day Sydney , and there was contact with locals.

Tupaia could neither communicate with the locals nor were they interested in bartering. So you just refreshed the supplies of drinking water and food, collected native plants and animals and then drove on.

Indonesia

On October 10, 1770, the Endeavor landed in Batavia . After the first night in a hotel, Banks rented rooms for a month for himself and the sick Tupaia. Although he refused to take medicine, his health soon seemed to be better. But by October 20, not only Tupaia and his servant Taiata were seriously ill, but large parts of the crew as well. The first crew member died on November 5, Taiata on November 9 and Tupaia on November 11, presumably of dysentery .

Tupaia in literature

A poem by Uwe Kolbe is called Tupaia .

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Tupaia's map. Retrieved June 15, 2020 .
  2. ↑ U. Kolbe, Counter-Speeches. Poems. Frankfurt a. M. 2015. p. 95.

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Tupaia
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Polynesian local guide and translator from James Cook
DATE OF BIRTH 1725
PLACE OF BIRTH Ra'iatea and Taha'a , Society Islands
DATE OF DEATH November 11, 1770
Place of death Jakarta