Poedua
Poedua (circa 1758 – ?) was a princess, daughter of Orea (Orio), King of Ulietea (Raiatea).[1] She was taken hostage together with her father, brother, and husband during the third voyage of James Cook in exchange for two sailors that had deserted onto the island.[2] The hostages were enticed on board HMS Discovery and imprisoned until Orea secured the return of the deserters.
![](../I/'The_Tahitian_Princess_Poedua'%252C_painted_by_John_Webber.jpg.webp)
Princess Poedua by John Webber, 1777.
For many contemporaries John Weber's portrait of Poedua epitomized the sensual image of the South Sea maiden.[3]
Notes
- National Maritime Museum. Poedua, the Daughter of Orio, b. circa 1758
- Lenore Manderson, Margaret Jolly. Sites of desire, economies of pleasure, University of Chicago Press, 1997, p. 104
- Michael Sturma. South Sea maidens, Greenwood Publishing Group, 2002, p. 24
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