NOTE: This is part eight of a thirteen part article. Enjoy!!!
Part VIII – Polynesian History (1595 – Present)
The next significant visitors to Polynesia were Captain William Bligh and his crew on the English ship Bounty, in 1789. The purpose of the voyage was to acquire breadfruit a food substance that could be used to cheaply nourish victims of the slave trade in the Caribbean. Bligh was hired because he was an expert navigator and had previously been to Tahiti with James Cook. Bligh was stern but certainly not the cruelest captain to take to the sea, but a series of bad luck events disenfranchised the crew. After setting sail for the return voyage to England, first mate Fletcher Christian successfully organized a mutiny and returned to Tahiti. Bligh and 18 crew members were set adrift. Their arduous, 41 day, 6000 kilometer voyage ending in Dutch Timor, went into the record books as one of the most admired voyages of all time. Some of the mutineers were later returned to England from Tahiti to face their fate. Fletcher Christian started a Polynesian-English colony on the remote island of Pitcarin, but was never seen again.
Bora Bora Approach
With the exception of Bligh’s survival at sea, the whole incident should not have been particularly historically significant, but a few key events impacted Polynesian history. The trial of the mutineers in England and William Bligh’s published log kept the English public very interested in the myths and permissiveness of Polynesian culture. A factor that led Christian to lead the mutiny was his love relationship with a Polynesian Princess. This steamy love story was the subject of a few novels, and no less than three motion pictures. Up until this time, visitors to the islands did not take sides with tribal conflict and no one tribe was strong enough to conquer all others. The Europeans introduced metal and weaponry to the islands. This vastly improved killing power. The mutineers also involved themselves in the conflicts as guns for hire. This propelled a particular family, the Pomares into power about 1790. The Pomare dynasty lasted 100 years, falling in 1891. By this time the French had solid control of Polynesia.
More to follow, Part IX is on its way. Suzan
