The Pomares Of

Tahiti

Letter to the Editor.

THE Tahitian language, says Mr. W.

W. Bolton, in an article with the above title published in the April “P.1.M.”, has no word for King, Prince, or Princess, and these words have been imported. We respectfully answer that if we did not have all these words at the time, it is still a fact, we had the persons and the power they represented.

Our “Arii’s” (Kings) and “Huiarii’s” ( Royal Family) possessed the power many kings of Europe did not have.

They held the right of life or death over their subjects. They could change many words in the language; they even had special words, forbidden to th,e common people and applied only to themselves— “mate” and “pohe” (death), “la orana” and “maeva” (welcome).

The love and respect which the royalty inspired in their subjects is still alive among the old Tahitian to-day. This would show that the Royal Family of Tahiti were really the masters and any imported word or application means nothing.

Further on, Mr. Bolton enters into royal genealogy, claiming there is only one line which is Pomare. That is not correct. Pomare IV had six children: 1. —Ariiaue a Pomare, who died young. 2. —Teratane a Pomare (called Ariitiria), King of Huahine and later on Pomare V, King of Tahiti. 3. —Teriimaevarua a Pomare, Queen of Bora-Bora. 4. —Tamatoa V a Pomare, King of Raiatea in 1855. 5. —Teriitapunui a Pomare, King of Eimeo. 6. Teriitua-Tuavira, great chief of Hitiaa.

Of these royal heirs only two were men tioned by Mr. Bolton. It is interesting to trace both lines.

First—Tamatoa V a Pomare a Tu, King of Raiatea, brother of Pomare V, Aril of Tahiti, left among others two daughters to continue the line: (a) Terii vaetua a Pomare, who married Norman Teriitua Brander. Their son, John Terii rere i Ahurai, Teriiuni o Tahiti, had three children —Tamatoa (who might be Tam atoa VI), Titaua, and Purea; and (b) Teriinavahoa Tamatoa a Pomare, who married Opuhara Salmon and, later, Teuraiterai Mote, his younger brother, whose issue were Pomateao Teriirour mona-i-te-rai, and two sons, Alexander Tuiterai and Taaroarii Erie.

Here it must be noted as a fact proven by actual history that when a Pomare daughter marries she remains Pomare.

Pomare IV married Tapoa and Hiro, and remained Pomare; when Teriimaevarua a Pomare. married Haamanahia tane, she remained Pomare, Queen of Bora-Bora, when Teriivaetua a Pomare. married N.

T. Brander she remained Pomare, and so on.

Second —Teriitua-Tuavira a Pomare, High Chief of Hitiaa, who married Isa bella-Vahinetua Shaw, had one son, Teriihinoiatua.

We must note here that ‘there never was a Hinoi I or Hinoi 11. This branch of the Royal Family, being the youngest had no opportunity to claim a vacant throne.

This Teriihinoiatua had no legitimate issue; but by two native beauties he had three children: Nita gave birth to Teva hitua-i-Patea born in 1893, and Ariipaea born in 1898: Katu gave birth to Tetu anui born in 1896. These three illegiti mate children are the minor cousins of Teriinavahoroa and Teriivaetua progenies; hence, it is impossible for elder lines to ask their re-adoption in the family by the minor cousins, as claimed by Mr. Bolton.

The name, in every family, is held by the eldest.

To close the matter, it would be better for Mr. Bolton not to discuss family affairs, especially when poorly informed.

We are, etc.,

Tamatoa Brander Pomare

and

Pomateao Salmon Pomare

Papeete. Tahiti. 27/6/’3B.