10 June 1769
Joseph Banks's Journal: Daily Entries
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On this day ...
10 June 1769
Endeavour Voyage Maps
James Cook's Journal Ms 1, National Library of Australia
Transcript of Cook's Journal
Sydney Parkinson's Journal
The authorised published account of Cook's Voyage by John Hawkesworth
1769
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10 June 1769
10. This evening according to my yesterdays engagement I went to the place where the
medua
lay, where I found Tubourai, Tamio, Hoona the
Meduas
daughter and a young Indian prepard to receive me. Tubourai was the
Heiva
, the three others and myself were to
Nineveh
. He put on his dress, most Fantastical tho not unbecoming, the figure annexd will explain it far better than words can. I was next prepard by stripping off my European cloths and putting me on a small strip of cloth round my waist, the only garment I was allowd to have, but I had no pretensions to be ashamd of my nakedness for neither of the women were a bit more coverd than myself. They then began to smut me and themselves with charcoal and water, the Indian boy was compleatly black, the women and myself as low as our shoulders. We then set out. Tubourai began by praying twice, one near the Corps again near his own house. We then proceeded towards the fort: it was nesscessary it seems that the procession should visit that place but they dare not to do it without the sanction of some of us, indeed it was not till many assurances of our consent that they venturd to perform any part of their ceremonies. To the fort then we went to the surprize of our freinds and affright of the Indians who were there, for they every where fly before the
Heiva
like sheep before a wolf. We soon left it and proceeded along shore towards a place where above 100 Indians were collected together. We the
Ninevehs
had orders from the
Heiva
to disperse them, we ran towards them but before we cam[e] within 100 yards of them they dispers'd every way, running to the first shelter, hiding themselves under grass or whatever else would conceal them. We now crossd the river into the woods and passd several houses, all were deserted, not another Indian did we see for about _ an hour that we sepnt in walking about. We the
Ninevehs
then came to the
Heiva
and said
imatata
, there are no people; after which we repaird home, the
Heiva
undressd and we went into the river and scrubbd one another till it was dark before the blacking would come off.
Voyaging Accounts
© Derived from State Library of NSW 1998 Transcription of Banks's Endeavour Journal page (vol.1) 266, 2004
Published by
kind permission of the Library
https://paulturnbull.org/project/southseas/journals/banks/17690610.html