10 Facts About Mauatua

Mauatua married both Fletcher Christian and Ned Young, and had children with both men.

Mauatua was reputedly the daughter of a chief, or at least was born in a high social group.

Mauatua left Tahiti with Fletcher Christian and the mutineers; before they reached Pitcairn Island, they attempted to begin a new settlement at Tubuai.

Mauatua was the oldest woman to travel with the mutineers, and became a matriarch of the new society that was ultimately founded by them on Pitcairn Island.

Mauatua married Fletcher Christian, and they had two sons and a daughter.

From surviving examples and contemporary observations, it appears that Mauatua specialised in making a fine white tapa.

In 1831, Mauatua was part of the group who returned to Tahiti, landing there, according to historian Henry Maude, on 23 March 1831.

Three examples of tapa cloth made by Mauatua are held in the collections of the British Museum and at Kew Gardens in London.

Mauatua is the subject of several books, including a biography of her and Fletcher Christian by her great-great-great-great-grandson Glyn Christian.

Mauatua wrote a work of historical fiction based on her life.