Mar 22, 1789 Home Logbook Mar 24, 1789
Revised Jun 30 2021
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Fresh Breezes and fair Wr. the afternoon and morning with Light airs Calms and a find pleasant night. Much Sea on the Dolphin Bank and in Matavai Bay. Wind NEBE, NEBN. Therr. 80° to 83½°.
Employed preparing for sea. Carpenters making temporary sweeps to row the Ship out. Armourer at the Forge. Sufficient supplys. Many Natives on board. Sick list as yesterday.
I shall now give an account of some principal People and their descendants here who have been spoke of in our earliest Voyages.
Captn. Cook in Page 154 of Endeavors Voyage June 1769. In speaking of the Cheifs says, "Whappai, Oamo, and Tootahah were Brothers. Whappai was the eldest and Oamo the second, so that Whappai having no child but Otoo, Terriderri the son of his next Brother Oamo was heir to the Sovereignty". He says also just before that "Terriderri was to be married to his sister, as soon as they were of proper age."
Tootahah, the person spoke of above had an Elder Bror. called Taahteeah who begot Whappai (who is now called Otoo.) Whappai begot Otoo the then Sovereign and now called Tynah or Matty, and Tynah is the father of the present Boy, Erreerahigh who as is the custom bears his Fathers name Otoo. So that Tootahah who was a great cheif of Attahooroo, and has been a long time dead, was Tynahs Great Uncle; and Uncle to Whappai instead of Brother.
Oamo was the Husband of Oberea (or Opeereah more properly.) They were Cheifs of Matavai and Paparra. Their son Terriderri was by the consent of the Parents married, not
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to his sister; but to Terreenahoroah the eldest child and Daughter of Whappai, Tynahs Sister, and was the Girl then spoken of. Oamo was therefore no relation, but his son Terriderri was son in law to Whappai and his children would have been Heirs to the Crown if Tynah had not any. The Wife however died without children. Terriderri and his father Oamo are still alive at Paparra. Whappai held the Sceptre and governed for his son Otoo, (now Tynah) when Capt'n Wallis was here in June 1767, and from the size His Parents have described him to me to have been at that time, I judge he was then 12 or 13 years of Age. Tynah is therefore at this time about 35.
Ta,ahteeahs father (or Whappais Grandfather) was called Tarroah,mana,owne; and his mother Tettuahowree was sister to the old Whaeeahtua the King of Tiaraboo. Therefore Whaeeahtua was Whappais Grandmothers Brother. This is the first and only connection of the two families, and on that account I have thought it worth mentioning.
Old Whaeeahtua, by Teeavah begot a son called Whaeeahtua. This son married Poory and they begot three sons and some Daughters. The sons were Whaeeahtua, Tettua,ooaowna and Warrooary. The first died, the 2nd was killed in Battle with Morea, and the 3d. became Erreerahigh and was no longer called Warrooary but Whaeeahtua and is the present reigning King.
I have given this account with a View to whoever may come after me, that they may be acquainted with the leading and principal families. It is not improper to remark also that both grand parents and uncles and aunts call the offspring of their near Relations their children, it is therefore most probably the mistake has arisen from this in Captn. Cooks account; and more particularly
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as the Girl was betrothed to Terriderri before his knowledge of them, and the Parents respectively had of course adopted them their own. Besides it would be doing these People great injustice to say, that Sister and Brother had ever connection together in marriage, and I declare it as an absolute fact that they would abhor an intercourse of this kind equal to a Briton.
Oamo was of no kind of kin to Tootahah.
Mar 22, 1789 Home Logbook Mar 24, 1789