Portrait of Mai (“Omai”) (Purchased jointly with National Portrait Gallery, London) (1776) by Sir Joshua ReynoldsThe J. Paul Getty Museum
A journey into the life of Mai (ca. 1751–1779), the first Polynesian to travel to England, and the subject of one of the most powerful portraits produced in 18th-century Britain.
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Mai was born on Raiatea, a lush volcanic island in the South Pacific. When he was still a boy, Raiatea was conquered by the neighboring island of Bora Bora, forcing Mai to flee to Tahiti in about 1763.
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Suffering from the loss of his homeland, and moreover the loss of his father who died in the battle, Mai vowed to one day take back Raiatea for his people.
Mai was about 16 years old when he had a fateful encounter with the first Europeans to reach Tahiti. The crew of the British ship HMS Dolphin arrived there in 1767 while exploring the South Pacific.
Captain Cook's Voyages (1767)LIFE Photo Collection
The Dolphin was quickly surrounded by Tahitian canoes and attacked.
The crew retaliated with devastating cannon fire, and Mai, who was up on the cliffside during the battle, was injured by gunfire.
Captain Cook's Voyages (1760)LIFE Photo Collection
While the two sides established peace, Mai was left awestruck by the crew’s weaponry. He became determined to make them his allies in his quest to retake Raiatea from the Bora Borans.
Mai would wait six years for the opportunity to pursue this goal.
A View of Matavai Bay in the Island of Otaheite [Tahiti] (1776) by William Hodges, 1744–1797, BritishYale Center for British Art
Mai next encountered the British in 1773. The HMS Resolution and Adventure—helmed by Captain James Cook and Captain Tobias Furneaux respectively—were on a voyage through the South Pacific when they anchored at Huahine.
Mai was waiting to meet them and talked his way on board the Adventure.
Thus began a roughly year-long journey at sea that would take him to England in search of military partnership.
The British encounter with Mai, whom they referred to as Omai, began through mutual curiosity and a shared interest in utilizing one another’s knowledge and resources. However, the overall legacy of Captain Cook’s worldwide voyages is morally complicated.
Though his missions aimed to advance science and discover new lands and peoples, Cook’s encounters with other cultures nonetheless played a role in catalyzing two centuries of systematic imperialism that irrevocably altered Indigenous societies.
The aftermath of European contact continues to shape Polynesian communities, which are actively working to revitalize and protect their traditions and histories.
Mai brought few personal items with him on his long journey to England. But he did bring a traditional Polynesian flute, called a vivo. The instrument was played through the nose as his culture believed breath from the nostril was imbued with sacred power.
Mai and his vivo can be seen in a drawing from the British Museum. In this etching, he holds a fan and a headrest.
After Mai left behind his family and all that was familiar, his vivo must have acted as a link to his homeland.
After Mai boarded the ship, the crew continued exploring the South Pacific. Their next stop was Raiatea, and to Mai’s dismay, Cook invited a young Bora Boran man named Hitihiti aboard. Mai considered him a rival, as his people were responsible for conquering his home of Raiatea.
Hitihiti, however, was not interested in traveling to England and eventually returned to Tahiti, leaving Mai as the only Polynesian to make the long journey. A print of Hitihiti was made by the ship’s artist William Hodges.
Hodges was an essential member of the expedition, responsible for creating visual documentation of the lands and people the crew encountered. His drawings and paintings shaped European notions of the South Seas.
Boats of the Friendly Isles (1773 - 1774) by William Hodges (after) | William Watts (engraver)Te Papa
After Raiatea, the crew journeyed through the Tongan Archipelago, an independent kingdom northeast of New Zealand. Cook nicknamed these lands the Friendly Islands due to the warm reception from the locals, and their generosity in trading supplies.
Iron nails were of particular value to locals. Cook’s men eventually removed so many from their ships to trade for goods that he had to forbid the practice as concerns grew that the vessels would fall apart at sea.
In late October, the Resolution and Adventure hit rough waters between the two main islands of New Zealand, and were sent on different courses back to England.
The mission to explore unknown lands and establish relationships with native populations continued but carried risks. To avoid miscommunications, the crew looked to Mai as a translator, but the diversity of languages they encountered did not always make this possible.
The threat of encounters turning violent became reality when on November 30, 1773 the Adventure sent a group of ten men ashore at Grass Cove, New Zealand to gather provisions. Following escalating misunderstandings, the men were subjected to ritualized cannabilism by local Māori.
Ship Cove, Queen Charlotte Sound (circa 1788) by John Webber (artist)Te Papa
The events horrified the crew and Mai, who years later continued to insist that Cook punish the attackers.
Following the incident at Grass Cove, Mai was added to the official list of able seamen on the Adventure, helping restore numbers to the crew and ensuring he would be paid upon arrival in England.
'A View of the Cape of Good Hope, Taken on the Spot, from on Board the 'Resolution', Capt Cooke' (via Wikimedia Commons, collection of National Maritime Museums) (1772) by William HodgesThe J. Paul Getty Museum
The Adventure left New Zealand on December 23, and would not touch land again until March 19, when it anchored at Table Bay on the Cape of Good Hope in what is now South Africa.
Once anchored, Captain Furneaux brought Mai into Cape Town to meet Governor Baron Plattenburg. The event marked the beginning of Mai’s entry into British high society, which would soon dominate his life in England.
Omai, A Native of Ulaietea (1774) by Nathaniel Dance and Francesco Bartolozzi (engraver)National Portrait Gallery
On July 14, 1774 the Adventure reached Spithead, England and Mai became the first Polynesian to set foot in the country, where there was already intense interest around Cook’s expeditions.
Mai was the living ambassador to an unknown culture and quickly became the focus of public fascination.
Explore the next chapter in A Journey into the Life of Mai: Part II
© 2026 The J. Paul Getty Trust, Los Angeles
For more resources:
https://www.getty.edu/art/exhibitions/walker/index.html
For more resources: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYvjjZFpXcA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYvjjZFpXcA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nZ5WmxjxpE
To cite this exhibition, please use: "A Journey into the Life of Mai: Part I" published online in 2026 via Google Arts & Culture, the J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles.
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