Overview
Tupaia, was a priest and navigator from Ra‘iatea in the Society Islands. He and his servant Taiato joined the expedition of British explorer Captain James Cook when he visited Tahiti in 1769. They were with Cook when he came to New Zealand, where Tupaia was able to communicate with the locals because of similarities between his language and Māori. For Cook, this was perhaps the first illustration of the ancestral connections between these peoples of the Pacific.
Tupaia, the artist?
The little that is known about Tupaia comes from Cook’s and Joseph Banks’ writings. No images of him have ever been found. However, scholars have discovered that he made a series of paintings depicting scenes of life in the Pacific. They are especially rare among images from this era of European exploration, because they are from an indigenous point of view. They are now housed in the British Library.
Tupaia's passing
Tupaia and his servant Taiato became ill and died when Cook’s expedition reached Batavia [Jakarta] in Indonesia. They were buried there. Later, when Cook returned to New Zealand, many Māori asked after Tupaia. They wept when they learned of his passing. Georg Forster, wrote: ‘So much had [Tupaia’s] superior knowledge and his ability to converse in their language rendered him valuable and beloved.’ To this day, some Māori carry the name Tupaia in memory of this important historical figure.
Honouring Tupaia - Tupeia antarctica
While there are many written descriptions of Tupaia’s personality and his words, actions and abilities, it appears he was not immortalised in any portraits.Scholars of Cook’s voyages have not yet identified any images of him, which would seem strange given the presence of artists such as Sydney Parkinson on Cook’s first voyage (1768–71). However, Tupaia’s visit has been honoured in the naming of a mistletoe species that is native to New Zealand.
On his first voyage, Cook took two botanists – Joseph Banks from England and Daniel Solander, originally from Sweden. The pair collected specimens of more than 3600 plant species and more than 1000 animal species. One of Te Papa's mounted specimens was collected when they visited Totaranui (Queen Charlotte Sound), New Zealand, in 1770. The plant was later described by German naturalist Georg Forster from material he collected on Cook’s second expedition to New Zealand (1772–75). He named it Viscum antarcticum. In 1828, German botanists Adelbert von Chamisso and Diederich von Schlechtendal described a new genus, which they named Tupeia after Tupaia. The plant thus became known as Tupeia antarctica.
Tupeia antarctica is known by Māori as tāpia, kohuorangi, pirinoa or pirita. It is a fruiting plant with small greenish-yellow flowers and is found in forest or scrublands where it parasitises other plants. It grows throughout New Zealand but at the time of writing is in decline due to browsing by possums.
Through Tupeia antarctica, the story of Tupaia becomes part of the European naming of New Zealand’s flora. The memory of his visit is literally embedded in the landscape. It is a reminder of how the natural history records of Cook’s expeditions can become entangled with the cultural history of the region in unusual and surprising ways.
Reference
Salmond, A. (2003).The trial of the cannibal dog: Captain Cook in the South Seas. London: Allen Lane.