Tupaia (navigator)

Tupaia (navigator)

Tupaia (c.1725–December, 1770) was a Polynesian navigator and "arioi" (Tohunga or priest), originally from the island of Ra'iatea in the Pacific Islands group known to Europeans as the Society Islands. His remarkable navigational skills and Pacific geographical knowledge were to be utilised by Lt. James Cook, R.N. when he took him aboard HM Bark "Endeavour" as guide on its famous voyage of exploration. He joined the vessel near Tahiti, and was welcomed aboard on insistence of Sir Joseph Banks, a member of Cook's expedition.

Tupaia accompanied Cook to New Zealand and was welcomed by some of the Māoris as a Tohunga (a gifted religious person, almost a god) [King, Michael (2003). "History of New Zealand" ISBN 0-14-301867-1 Penguin. Pages 103 & 106] . It seems that they presented him with a precious dog-skin cloak.

Tupaia died in Batavia of scurvy and malaria. Joseph Banks "inherited" the cloak.

Notes

References

* King, Michael (2003). "History of New Zealand" ISBN 0-14-301867-1 Penguin.
* [http://www.nzetc.org/tm/scholarly/name-101191.html Tupaia at the New Zealand Electronic Text Centre]


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