Tehaʻapapa I (c. 1735–1790) (Tehaʻapapa Fatu'araʻi Teri'i-tariʻa Te-i'oa-tua-vahine) was a Queen regnant of the island of Huahine.^[1] She was the ruler of that island during the time Captain Cook visited the island and an ancestor of Queen Teha'apapa II.

Biography

She was born in 1735 and became queen in 1760. Her husbands were Chiefs Rohianuʻu and Mato Teriʻi-te Po Areʻi of Raiatea (both brothers).

She died in 1790 and her successor was her son Teriʻitaria I. His father was Mato.

She had a daughter Tura'iari'i Ehevahine, who was a queen consort of Raiatea. Her grandchildren were king Tamatoa IV and queen Teriitaria II.

On November 11, 1808, English missionaries landed on the island of Huahine due to an insurrection against Pōmare II in Tahiti. The missionary John Davies recounted his stay on the island. They were welcomed by Puru and his brother Ariipaea, husband of Itia mother of Pōmare II. On November 14, 1808, Ariipaea informed Davies that the high-ranking people on the island were Puru first, then Teriitaria II, daughter of chief Tamatoa III recognized as supreme chief of the island and destined to marry Pōmare II. Teriitaria II lived in Huahine with two sisters, a brother and a cousin daughter of Ariipaea.^[2] Puru was called Mahine.^[3] He was also called Teheiura.^[4]: 253 His brother Ariipaea was also known as Tenania.^[4]: 253

On November 21, 1808, Itia sent a message to Tahiti to ask her son Pomare II to come to the Leeward Islands and take Teriitaria II as his wife.^[5]

On November 28, 1808 further informations were given by Davies. Gifts were given to eight chiefs of the island of Huahine named Hapapa, Nohorae, Tenanea, Turaeare, Temare, Teahuitu, Taroaare, Taraemano. (Teha'apapa I, Nohora'i, Tenania, Turaiarii, Temarii, Teahuitu, Taaroaarii, Teraimano) Teha'apapa I, was an old woman from the Tamatoa family. She called herself the mother of most of the other chefs. Nohora'i (Moeore) was the son of Tamatoa III and the brother of Teriitaria II. Temarii and Teihotu were his other sisters who also lived in Huahine. He had another sister who lived with his father in Raiatea. Tenania was a young woman belonging to the same family. Turaiarii was Ariipaea's daughter from his first wife. Teraimano or as she was formerly called Teariiaetua was his daughter by Itia. She died in 1811. Taaroaarii was the son of his brother Puru.^[6] Davies confirmed that Teraimano who was Puru's niece, was alive in his diary dated July 6, 1818.^[7] Tura'iari'i was therefore also called Teraimano.^[4]: 253

In July 1810, the American ship Hope, commanded by Captain Chase, touched the island of Huahine. Tapoa I, chief of the islands of Bora Bora and Raiatea, was there with all his warriors, waiting for favorable winds to join Pomare II at Eimeo also called Moorea. This chief proposed the seizure of the ship to the old queen, who mainly ran the government. She was the grandmother of the rightful queen, aged around twenty years old. She refused this vile approach and informed the young queen of Tapoa I's proposal. The latter had to bow to the young queen who also refused to follow him.^[8]

Pomare II in his letter of November 16, 1810, confirmed the identity of these two influential women from the island of Huahine who saved Captain Chase from an attack. The young queen was Pomare vahine also called Teriitaria II, and the old queen was Teha'apapa I the mother-in-law of Tamatoa III. The latter also being the father of Teriitaria II. Captain Chase left Huahine on July 21, 1810. On July 22, Tehaapapa I became seriously ill. She died on the night of July 25, 1810 according to Pomare II : « July (sic Tiurai) 21 reva tura Captain Chase, July 22 pohe i hora Teha'apapa i te ma'i, July 25 pohe roa tura Teha'apapa ite āru'i ». Tapoa I arrived in Eimeo on July 27, 1810 with the bad news from Huahine.^[9]

Bibliography

• Baré, Jean-François (1987). Tahiti, les temps et les pouvoirs: pour une anthropologie historique du Tahiti post-européen (in French). Paris: ORSTOM, Institut français de recherche scientifique pour le développement en coopération. ISBN 978-2-7099-0847-4. OCLC 16654716.
• Chesneau, Joseph (August 1928). "Notes sur Huahine et autres Iles-Sous-le-Vent". Bulletin de la Société des Études Océaniennes (in French). Papeete: Société des Études Océaniennes (26): 81–98. OCLC 9510786. Archived from the original on 27 November 2019. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
• Newbury, Colin W. (1980). Tahiti Nui: Change and Survival in French Polynesia, 1767–1945 (PDF). Honolulu: University Press of Hawaii. hdl:10125/62908. ISBN 978-0-8248-8032-3. OCLC 1053883377. Archived (PDF) from the original on 10 November 2019. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
• Davies, John (2017) [1961]. Newbury, Colin W. (ed.). The History of the Tahitian Mission, 1799–1830, Written by John Davies, Missionary to the South Sea Islands: With Supplementary Papers of the Missionaries. London: The Hakluyt Society. doi:10.4324/9781315557137. ISBN 978-1-317-02871-0. OCLC 992401577.

Family

See also

• Kingdom of Huahine
• List of monarchs of Huahine

References