Pomare I
Encyclopedia
Pōmare I, King of Tahiti (c. 1742 – September 3, 1803), fully in old orthography: Tu-nui-ea-i-te-atua-i-Tarahoi Vairaatoa Taina Pōmare I (also known as Tu or Tinah or Outu or simply as Pōmare I), was the unifier and first king of Tahiti and founder of the Pōmare dynasty
and the Kingdom of Tahiti between 1788? and 1791.
Outu is the phonetic English rendering of O Tū, Tū being the name, o the nominal predicate meaning that is. Older literature writes his family name as Tunuieaiteatua, which leaves incertainties about the proper pronunciation as Tahitian
usually did (and does) not write macron
s and glottals
. Barring this incertainty, in the current proper orthography would be Tū-nui-ēa-i-te-atua meaning Great-Tū,-road-to-the-god. Tū (standing straight up) was a major Tahitian god. Ariitaimai claims that this Tū is a contraction of atua (god), but that is unlikely. The name Pōmare was adopted later. Pō-mare means night cougher, a nickname he took, as was common in that time, in honor of his daughter Teriinavahoroa who died from tuberculosis
in 1792.
He was born at Pare, ca. 1743, second son of Teu Tunuieaiteatua by his wife, Tetupaia-i-Hauiri. He initially reigned under the regency of his father, 1743, and succeeded on the death of his father as Arii-rahi of Porionuu November 23, 1802.
As king, Pōmare I succeeded in uniting the different chiefdoms of Tahiti
into a single kingdom, composed of the islands of Tahiti itself, Moorea
, Mehetia
, and the Tetiaroa
group. His service as the first king of unified Tahiti ended when he abdicated in 1791, but he remained the regent of Tahiti from 1791 until 1803.
He married 4 times and had two sons and three daughters.
He was succeeded by Tū Tūnuiʻēʻaiteatua Pōmare II
, who reigned 1803-1821.
Pomare Dynasty
The Kingdom of Tahiti was founded by paramount chief Pōmare I, who, with the aide of English missionaries and traders, and European weaponry, unifed the islands of Tahiti, Moʻorea, Tetiaroa, Mehetia and at its peak consists of the other Society Islands of eastern Polynesia. Their leaders were...
and the Kingdom of Tahiti between 1788? and 1791.
Outu is the phonetic English rendering of O Tū, Tū being the name, o the nominal predicate meaning that is. Older literature writes his family name as Tunuieaiteatua, which leaves incertainties about the proper pronunciation as Tahitian
Tahitian language
Tahitian is an indigenous language spoken mainly in the Society Islands in French Polynesia. It is an Eastern Polynesian language closely related to the other indigenous languages spoken in French Polynesia: Marquesan, Tuamotuan, Mangarevan, and Austral Islands languages...
usually did (and does) not write macron
Macron
A macron, from the Greek , meaning "long", is a diacritic placed above a vowel . It was originally used to mark a long or heavy syllable in Greco-Roman metrics, but now marks a long vowel...
s and glottals
Glottal stop
The glottal stop, or more fully, the voiceless glottal plosive, is a type of consonantal sound used in many spoken languages. In English, the feature is represented, for example, by the hyphen in uh-oh! and by the apostrophe or [[ʻokina]] in Hawaii among those using a preservative pronunciation of...
. Barring this incertainty, in the current proper orthography would be Tū-nui-ēa-i-te-atua meaning Great-Tū,-road-to-the-god. Tū (standing straight up) was a major Tahitian god. Ariitaimai claims that this Tū is a contraction of atua (god), but that is unlikely. The name Pōmare was adopted later. Pō-mare means night cougher, a nickname he took, as was common in that time, in honor of his daughter Teriinavahoroa who died from tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
in 1792.
He was born at Pare, ca. 1743, second son of Teu Tunuieaiteatua by his wife, Tetupaia-i-Hauiri. He initially reigned under the regency of his father, 1743, and succeeded on the death of his father as Arii-rahi of Porionuu November 23, 1802.
As king, Pōmare I succeeded in uniting the different chiefdoms of Tahiti
Tahiti
Tahiti is the largest island in the Windward group of French Polynesia, located in the archipelago of the Society Islands in the southern Pacific Ocean. It is the economic, cultural and political centre of French Polynesia. The island was formed from volcanic activity and is high and mountainous...
into a single kingdom, composed of the islands of Tahiti itself, Moorea
Moorea
Moʻorea is a high island in French Polynesia, part of the Society Islands, 17 km northwest of Tahiti. Its position is . Moʻorea means "yellow lizard" in Tahitian...
, Mehetia
Mehetia
Mehetia or Meetia is a volcanic island in the Windward Islands, in the east of the Society Islands in French Polynesia. This island is a very young active stratovolcano east of Taiarapu Peninsula of Tahiti. It belongs to the Teahitia-Mehetia hotspot....
, and the Tetiaroa
Tetiaroa
Tetiaroa is a private atoll in the Windward group of the Society Islands of French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of France in the Pacific Ocean. Once the vacation spot for Tahitian royalty, the atoll is widely known for having been purchased by Marlon Brando...
group. His service as the first king of unified Tahiti ended when he abdicated in 1791, but he remained the regent of Tahiti from 1791 until 1803.
He married 4 times and had two sons and three daughters.
He was succeeded by Tū Tūnuiʻēʻaiteatua Pōmare II
Pomare II
Pōmare II, King of Tahiti , fully Tu Tunuieaiteatua Pōmare II or in modern orthography Tū Tū-nui-ēa-i-te-atua Pōmare II , was the second king of Tahiti between 1782 and 1821. He was installed by his father Pōmare I at Tarahoi, February 13, 1791...
, who reigned 1803-1821.
External links
- Angela Ballara: Pōmare I, Dictionary of New Zealand Biography