Death of Panuarii Taie
p. 12 · Read in the full issue
Fine Polynesian
From Our Own Correspondent
Papeete, June 17.
rpHE last of a venerable generation of A aristocrats, descendants of high Chiefs renowned in Polynesian his tory and poetic legend, passed with the death of Punuarii Taie, on June 6, 1942.
Punuarii Taie was of the royal blood of Opoa and was a direct descendant from that mighty warrior and voyager, Tautu, paramount High Chief of Tahaa.
More recently, his family were the early disciples of the great missionary, John Williams, and from among them were ordained the first messengers of the Gos pel to the Cook and Austral Islands.
Punuarii Taie followed the tradition of his forebears in his devotion to the Pro testant Church of Ra’iatea and Tahiti.
During more than 35 years he has been a deacon of the church at Papeete, lat terly exercising the duties of assistant pastor in many ceremonies of the insti tution. Always he has been the leader and spiritual father of the Ra’iatea col ony on Tahiti.
Revered and loved, he became an almost legendary example of that race of noble Polynesians who have all but vanished from the islands of the Pacific.