1787 – Table des Differentes Langues de la Mer du Sud (Table of the Different Languages of the South Seas) – Antique Print Free Shipping Hot Sale

Item number: OTH384Genuine Antique Print Chart

1787

Maker: Bonne and Desmarest

Antique chart of languages, with the French word in the left column and its translations in various languages to the right. Languages include New Zealand (possibly Maori), Malay, Peruvian, and many more. Words translated include the numbers, man, woman, the sun, the sea, large, small, and many more. This was likely published published in Bonne and Desmarest’s Atlas Encyclopedique, 1787, which featured many new maps from Captain Cook’s voyages in the Pacific. Tupaia was a Tahitian Polynesian navigator and arioi (a kind of priest), originally from the island of Ra’iatea in the Pacific Islands group known to Europeans as the Society Islands (the language of which is first on this chart after French). His remarkable navigational skills and Pacific geographical knowledge were utilized by Captain Cook when he took him aboard the Endeavour as guide on its voyage of exploration to Terra Australis Incognita. Tupaia travelled with Cook to New Zealand, acting as the expedition’s interpreter to the Polynesian Māori, and Australia. Good condition with some spots and stains. With folds as issued. This chart measures approx. 13 x 18 inches to the neatline. 

Item Number: OTH384