"Omai, who was brought to England by Captain Furneaux," in James Cook, A Voyage Towards the South Pole and Round the World: Performed in His Majesty's Ships the Resolution and Adventure, in the Years 1772, 1773, 1774 and 1775 (London, 1777)
Before departing from Huahine, an island in French Polynesia, Captain Furneaux of the HMS Adventure accepted a young Ra’iatean man named Ma’i on board. Ma’i, known as Omai in Britain, became the second Pacific Islander to visit Europe and was well-admired in London high society. This engraving of Ma’i is based on a drawing made during the voyage by artist William Hodges. Captain Cook’s accompanying description of his second voyage reveals that he believed Ma’i “was not a proper sample of the inhabitants of these happy islands, not having any advantage of birth . . . nor being eminent in shape, figure, or complexion.” (EZ)
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