Tupaia: Navigator, Polynesian scholar and artist

Captain James Cook was the first explorer to have artists accompanying him on his voyages. On Cook’s first voyage he brought a Scotsman named Sydney Parkinson, to draw natural history specimens. He is best known for his botanical studies. In addition to which he did landscapes, portraits and costal views. Parkinson became ill during the Endeavour’s stay in Batavia (today known as Jakarta in Indonesia) On January 26, 1771 at the age of 25, on passage to the Cape of Good Hope he died. A second Scotsman, Alexander Buchan was taken on this expedition as the second artist, to record the scenery and make a general illustrated account of this expedition. This would allow Parkinson to concentrate on drawing the botanical and zoological specimens which were collected.

Two years later, The Endeavour arrived in Tahiti, Tupaia became close to Banks, serving as his advisor, his guide and becoming a member of Banks’ scientific party. Tupaia persuaded Banks into talking Cook into allowing him and Taiyota, a servant-boy, with him on HMS Endeavour to accompany the ship to Britain. No known portraits of Tupaia exist, but there is the below portrait of Taiyota, after a sketch by Sydney Parkinson. There is a strong belief that Tupaia was hoping to convince Cook to return to Rai’atea, and with the help of the Endeavour’s guns and crew, take back his family land in Rai’atea. In addition to which he felt Chief Amo and his wife Queen Purea would not remain in power much longer.

Tupaia: outstanding navigator and a man of great knowledge

When the Endeavour reached New Zealand, Tupaia established a strong relationship between the Maori people and the Europeans. The language of the Society Islands was at the origin of the Maori language, allowing Tupaia to translate. He was from the Maori’s ancestral homeland Hawaiki (Rai’atea) and was believed to possess Mana (Spiritual Power). Some Maoris even welcomed him as a Tohunga (high priest, almost a God). It was the great priest Tupaia who left a lasting impression on the Maoris in New Zealand, rather than Cook or Banks. The Maoris even thought that the Endeavour was Tupaia’s ship.

Tupaia certainly deserved a better epitaph from Cook. From the moment the Endeavour left Fort Venus in Matavai Bay on July 13, 1769, Tupaia guided Cook through the neighbouring islands, later named the Society Islands. A chart was drawn from Tupaia’s description of 72 islands centred on Tahiti. In New Zealand, he acted as an interpreter and go-between with the Maori, who understood his language and revered him as a priest and ambassador from their spiritual home. On 17 December 1770, little Taiyota announced, ‘Tyua mate oee’ (‘My friends, I am dying’); on his passing away, his master Tupaia ‘gave himself up to grief’, filled with remorse for having taken himself and his servant so far from their homeland, and died three days later. Joseph Banks bequested all of Tupaia’s drawings to the British Museum and they were transferred to the British Library when it was established.

Tupaia: a scene in Tahiti

1769, Pen and india ink and watercolor on paper,  by Tupaia, British Library. Add MS 15508. F. 9

Here Tupaia depicts two war canoes, each with fighting platforms and warriors fighting with staff-clubs. Each war canoe had a Tiki on each end. Tupaia explained to Cook, never more than one or two men actually fought on the platform at any given time. Once one was killed or wounded, another warrior replaced him. These battles never lasted a long time, and the conclusion settled the dispute. Included in this picture is a double sailed sailing canoe. The scene in the back shows a longhouse and all types of staple Tahitian food crops, breadfruit, bananas, coconut trees and taro plants There are also pandanus trees which are extremely important for building homes.

Australian Aborigines fishing in two bark canoes

1770, pencil and watercolor on paper, Tupaia, 268 x 205 mm British Library. Add MS 15508 f. 10

This drawing shows the everyday life of Australian Aborigines, fishing for food. The fisherman is using a four prong spear. Banks described these canoes in his journal : “A piece of bark tied together in pleats at the ends and kept extended in the middle by small bows of wood was the whole embarkation, which carried one or two, nay we once saw three people, who moved it along in shallow water by setting long poles, and in deeper by paddling with paddles about 18 inches long, one which they held in each hand.”

Tahitian musicians

1769, pencil, wash and watercolor on paper, Tupaia, 267 x 368 mm British Library. Add MS 15508 f. 11

In 1769, the Tahiti Philharmonic Orchestra did not exist! At that time the Tahitian music came from three sources, drums, nose flutes and the human voice. Drums were made from different size hollowed out tree trunks, covering one end with a stretched out shark skin. Drums were always played by hand and depending where the skin was slapped could produce up to six different tones. The nose flutes were made from bamboo tubes, having a hole at one end to breathe into and two stop holes at the opposite end, which made it possible to produce three or four different notes. The drummers are wearing tiputa (ponchos made from undyed bark cloth.)

Tupaia's Chart

Drawn by Captain James Cook 1769-1770 British Library, Add MS 215193 C.

Best known as Tupaia’s Chart’. This surviving copy in pen and ink of Tupaia’s original map is in Cook’s hand, Tupaia used the center of his map as north, or noon, and the readings from north changed depending on which Island you were on.