Tupaia

Tupaia was a Raiatean navigator and priest who joined James Cook’s first Pacific voyage in 1769, contributing geographic knowledge, diplomatic skill, and artwork.

James Cook: James Cook was a British naval officer and explorer who led three Pacific voyages in the eighteenth century. Cook commanded the 1769 voyage that carried Tupaia from Raiatea to New Zealand.
Polynesian navigation: Polynesian navigation is the use of environmental knowledge and learned techniques to travel across the Pacific. Tupaia’s knowledge of islands and routes came from this seafaring tradition.
Tupaia's drawings: Tupaia’s drawings are watercolors and sketches made during Cook’s first Pacific voyage. They portray Pacific people and encounters through an Indigenous participant’s perspective.
Indigenous knowledge: Indigenous knowledge consists of understandings developed and transmitted within Indigenous communities through practice and experience. Tupaia’s expertise shows how Pacific knowledge shaped an expedition often framed as European discovery.
Joseph Banks: Joseph Banks was an English naturalist who joined James Cook’s first Pacific voyage. Banks helped bring Tupaia aboard and later preserved accounts of their voyage.
Tupaia's map: Tupaia’s map is a chart of Pacific islands dictated to Cook’s expedition in 1769. It records how Tupaia organized extensive geographic knowledge for European collaborators.
Endeavour voyage: The Endeavour voyage was James Cook’s first Pacific expedition, conducted from 1768 to 1771. Tupaia’s travels and documented contributions unfolded aboard the Endeavour.
European exploration of the Pacific: European exploration of the Pacific was a series of voyages that mapped and claimed knowledge of the ocean and its islands. Tupaia’s participation exposes the Indigenous assistance behind Cook’s expedition.
Herman Spöring: Herman Spöring was a Finnish naturalist and artist on Cook’s first Pacific voyage. He worked alongside Tupaia and made drawings associated with the expedition.
Hōkūleʻa: Hōkūleʻa is a Hawaiian voyaging canoe launched in 1975 to revive traditional Polynesian navigation. Its modern voyages demonstrate the living traditions underlying Tupaia’s navigational expertise.

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