28 April 1769

James Cook's Journal: Daily Entries

Table of Contents On this day ... 28 April 1769 Endeavour Voyage Maps James Cook's Journal Ms 1, National Library of Australia Joseph Banks's Journal Sydney Parkinson's Journal The authorised published account of Cook's Voyage by John Hawkesworth 1769 References Index Search Contact us Search for Nautical Term in Falconer's Dictionary of the Marine...

28 April 1769 Friday, 28th This Morning Several ^ a great number of the Natives came to us in their Canoes from different parts of the Island several of whome we had not seen before   one of these was the Woman called by the Dolphins the Queen of this Island, She first went to Mr Banks's Tent at the Fort where she was not known till the Master happening to go aShore who knewed her and brought her on board with two men and several Women who seem'd to be all of her Family.  I made them all some presents or other, but to Obariea, for such is this womans name, I gave several things, in return for which, as soon as I went a Shore with her, she gave me a Hog and several Bunches of Plantains, these she caused to be carried from her Canoe's up to the Fort in a kind of a Procession, she and I bringing up the rear. This Woman is about 40 years of Age and like most of the other Women very Masculine-  she is head or Chief of her own Family or Tribe but to all appearence hath no authority over the rest of the Inhabitants whatever she might have ^ had when the Dolphin was here. Hercules, whose real Name is Tootaha, is to all appearences the Chief man of the Island and hath generally Viseted us twice a week sence we have been here, and came always attended by a number of Canoes and people, and at those times we was were sure to have a supply, more or less, of every thing the Island afforded; both from him self and from those that came with him - and it is a Chance thing that we got a Hog at any other time,  he was with us at this time and did not appear very well pleased at the notice we took of Obariea — but I soon but him into a good humor by takeing him on board and makeing him some presents Natural Phenomena in South Seas Companion: pigs in Maohi society | plantains People in South Seas Companion: Purea | Tutaha ('Hercules') Voyaging Accounts © Transcription by Paul Turnbull of National Library of Australia, Manuscript 1 page 57, 2004 Published by kind permission of the Library To cite this page use: https://paulturnbull.org/project/southseas/journals/cook/17690428.html