Owhaa (Hua)

From George Robertson's journal of the Dolphin voyage we learn that Hua took a prominent role from the beginning of trade with the vessel's shore parties, apparently at first giving

Umbrage to the oyther people of the island, particularly to some who hade the Appearance of the first rank, and this old man was only of the middle rank, and seemd to pay a great deal of respect to some of the oythers, who seemd to have servants with them, and great plenty of stock, but would send non of it over by the old man, becaus they were not permitted to come themselves (Robertson, 1948: 170.

Henry further remarks of Hau that he secured food for the voyagers from neighbouring districts, and guided a party of 41 men led by John Gore, master's mate aboard the Dolphin, on a day's expedition into the interior of the island (Henry 1928: 15).

A Copy of Gore's account of the expedition, on 25 July 1767 is contained in his log, now in the National Library of Australia. It was also written into Wallis's log (now in the UK Public Records Office, Admirality 55/35 and appears in John Hawkesworth's Account of the Voyages...in the Southern Hemisphere (1: 472). Gore's account documents the assistance provided by Hua.

During Cook's first visit to Tahiti, Hau again was an important negotiator across cultural boundaries. He sought to alert Cook and his men of raids upon the stockade they had erected to ensure successful observations of the transit of Venus. And he successfully defused tensions between the voyagers and the inhabitants of Ha'apape after a Maohi man was shot dead on 15 April 1769 when attempting to steal a musket.

• Hawkesworth, John, An account of the voyages undertaken by the order of His present Majesty, for making discoveries in the southern hemisphere, and successively performed by Commodore Byron, Captain Wallis, Captain Carteret, and Captain Cook, in the Dolphin, the Swallow, and the Endeavour : drawn up from the journals which were kept by the several commanders and from the papers of Joseph Banks, Esq. Derived from the 1773 London edition, printed for W. Strahan and T. Cadell. National Library of Australian call number: FERG 7243., South Seas, 2004, http://paulturnbull.org/projects/southseas/index_voyaging.html. [ Details ]