Remarks Apr 5, 1789 Home Logbook Erreeoys Apr 5, 1789
Revised Jun 30 2021
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Otow and Oberreeroah, Parents of Tynah The present Regent Oreepyah His Brother, married but no Children Wowwo His Sister Towry His Sister at Ulietea Whydooah His Brother married but no Children Teppahoo His Brother at Ulietea Tynah married Iddeeah and has Children Otoo Erreerahigh about 6 years old Terreenahoroah His Sister Terreetapanooai His Brother Tahamydooah His Sister Wowwo is married to Iddeeahs Brother Modooaro Children living Tylahoonooai A Girl.
If Tynah had died without Children and none of the Brothers or Sisters had Children, the eldest succeeds on the Male, and passing through without Issue falls to the Female line.
If Tynah had died without Issue, and any of his Brothers or Sisters had Children, the sovereignty would have fallen to the eldest Child of the eldest Brother, and in default of him to the next, and so on to the Sisters Children, for if Tynah had no children his Nephew or Neice inherits the Crown before any other. As for example if the
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Brothers had no Children, which in the present family they have not, the Child of Wowwo would be declared Erreerahigh before Oreepyah.
If all these of the Otoo family were to die without issue, they clearly showed to me there would be no Erreerahigh in Otaheite, from which I have made the following inferences assisted from the result of my enquiries.
That in the Otoo family has been the whole sovereignty of Otaheite, that the power of the King was very great and that he governed the whole Island and proclaimed laws amidst a general assembly, but that there is no general assembly at present.
That from the Idea that there will be no Erreerahigh should the family be extinct, shews that the Constitution of the land is materially altered, and that a King is not thought to be absolutely necessary, for it is a fact that every district has its Erreerahigh, and that such Cheif governs for his District and sides in time of War with either party as inclination or convenience leads him. Besides, the different districts are often at War with each other, which could not be the Case in a regular Government.
That the insitution of the Grand Morai (or Temple) called Teppataboo,ahtaiah where the Marro is kept, and which no one wears but the Erreerahigh when War or Peace is declared, (described by Captn. Cook) has been violated, as the Attahooroo people in whose district the Temple is, joined in War with the Imeo (or Morea) People against the Erreerahigh.
Of the Erreerahigh therefore there is very little to be said of his advantages as a King. He however still retains great honors. No one can appear covered above the waist in his presence. He eats alone and as I have mentioned before he is the only person that wears that famous Badge of distinction called the Marro. What is exceedingly curious of this extraordinary thing is that it can be kept no where but at Attahooroo
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at the Great Temple, so that whatever are the uses of it, the Erreerahigh cannot get at it when they are at War as I have already related.
Whaeeahtua of Tiarraboo, and Potatow of Attahooroo are two other great Personages, and are always spoken of as Cheiftans of those parts of the Island, from whom altho very considerable Men came to see me and brought messages from each to spend some time with them at Tiarraboo and Attahooroo, yet they would not venture to come themselves, or could I get Tynah to go with me to pay them a Visit. Such is the mutual jealousy of these People.
Rank among the many peculiarties in the Government of these People is fixed with the greatest precision and generally known to even the lowest order. I shall give it as repeatedly shown to me.
Erreerahigh................King or Greatest Cheif Erree......................Lord or Cheif of the District Tatatooow..................Barons Tatamaauree................Esq'rs. Rateerah or Manahownee.....Citizens Towtow.....................Servants
A Cheif of a District as soon as he has a Child looses his Rank and the Child is acknowledged Erree the Father becomes a Tatatoo ow Erree. But of the Royal Family the Parent always remains an Erree without descending to the Rank of Tatatooow.
The younger Brothers of the Cheif of a District are of the Class of Tatatooows, but they are not equal to their Elder Brother altho he has had a Child, the word Erree being afixed and his Title is then Tatatooow Erree. The right of inheritance is the same as with the Royal Family.
Remarks Apr 5, 1789 Home Logbook Erreeoys Apr 5, 1789