Tahiti, the island paradise

by Nicholas Senn

May 9th, Temarre accompanied the king and queen and staid to dine with us. He is, we find, of the royal race and son of the famed Oberea. He is the first chief of the island after Pomarre, by whom he has been subdued, and now lives in friendship with him and has adopted his son. He is also high in esteem as a priest.

In July of the same year the missionaries visited Temarii at Papara on their way around the island. They found the chief under the influence of Kava, but were feasted the next day on Temarii's feast pig. Not only was Temarii the most powerful chief of the island, but Pomare had become, by his son's accession, a chief of the second order. He depended greatly on the favor of his son, the young Tu, who was, in 1797, supposed to be at least fifteen and perhaps seventeen years of age, and who had been adopted by Temarii, his cousin, who was about ten years older than he. Adoption was rather stronger in the South Seas than the tie of natural parentage. Between his natural father, Pomare, and his adopted father, Temarii, the young Tu preferred the latter, and sooner or later every one knew that Temarii would help Tu to emancipate himself and drive Pomare from the island.

TAHITIAN BAMBOO HOUSE

The Duff sailed for England August 14, 1797, leaving the missionaries to the mercies of rival factions, and they soon ascertained that Pomare and Tu were on anything but friendly terms. The missionaries had faith in Pomare, who chose one of them by the name of Cover as a brother. Temarii chose another by the name of Main. These two missionaries went to Papara August 15th, at the suggestion of the influential native priest, Manne Manne, to remonstrate against a human sacrifice which was to be made at the Marae Tooarai. On account of a murder recently committed, the missionaries found the chief and people greatly excited, and fled as quickly as possible.

In the month of March the missionaries found themselves in a critical condition when the ship Nautilus appeared and two of her crew deserted. The deserters went to Pare and were sheltered there. The captain of the Nautilus at once set to work to recover them. Four of the missionaries proceeded to Pare to see Tu, Pomare and Temarii and informed them that a refusal to return the men would be regarded as exhibiting an evil intention against the missionaries. They found Tu and Temarii at Pare, but went to get Pomare to join them, when they were suddenly attacked and stripped by some thirty natives, who took their clothes and treated them rather roughly, but at last released them. They went to Pomare's house and were kindly received. Pomare returned with them to Tu, and insisted on the punishment of the offenders and the delivery of the deserters. Two were executed, and the district of Pare took up arms to avenge them. Tu joined his father and suppressed the riot, so that the missionaries' clothes cost the natives fifteen lives before order was restored. This incident made the missionaries very unpopular and they had to depend more than ever on Pomare for protection.

On August 24th, two whaling vessels, the Cornwall and Sally, of London, anchored in Matavai Bay, and most of the principal chiefs went on board. On the 30th, while the missionaries were at dinner, Pomare came in great haste, and told them that a man had been blown up with gunpowder at the Council house in Pare, and requested them to hasten to the place and render assistance. When they arrived they found that the injured man was Temarii. Here is the account of the affair by the missionaries:

At our arrival we were led to the bed of Temaree called also Orepiah, and beheld such a spectacle as we had never before seen. Brother Broomhall began immediately to apply what he had prepared with a camel's-hair brush over most parts of the body. He was apparently more passive under the operation than we could conceive a man in his situation would be capable of. The night drawing on, we took leave of him by saying we would return next morning with a fresh preparation. On the following morning we were struck with much surprise at the appearance of the patient He was literally daubed with something like a thick white paste. Upon inquiry we found it to be the scrapings of yams. Both the chief and his wife seemed highly offended at Brother Broomhall's application the preceding evening, and they would not permit him to do anything more for him, as he had felt so much pain from what he had applied. It was said that there was a curse put into the medicine by our God.

It must be remembered that the Tahitian chiefs were also priests and not infrequently acted as physicians. The dissatisfaction of Temarii with the treatment of his case by the missionaries had therefore to be considered as a most unfortunate affair. Under these conditions the missionaries were apprehensive of increasing hostilities. The suspicion on part of the superstitious natives that the missionaries had been sent by Pomare to curse Temarii and cause his death was not only a natural but a reasonable one to the chief as well as his subjects. Pomare was quite capable of such conduct and as far as the natives knew, the missionaries were Pomare's friends and supporters. The accident which gave rise to this unfortunate occurrence was due to the English gunpowder and it was fortunate that the missionaries had nothing to do with furnishing it. The explosion occurred while Temarii was testing the quality of powder which he obtained from the whalers Cornwall and Sally.

A pistol was loaded and unthinkingly fired in the midst of a number of people, over the whole quantity (five pounds) of powder received. A spark of fire dropped from the pistol upon the powder that lay on the ground, and in a moment it blew up. The natives did not feel themselves hurt at first, but when the smoke was somewhat dispersed, observing their skin fouled with powder, they began to rub their arms, and found the skin peeling off under their fingers. Terrified at this, they instantly ran to a river near at hand and plunged themselves in.