Peter Hagerstein (born 1757

Helsinki Helsinki () is the Capital city, capital and most populous List of cities and towns in Finland, city in Finland. It is on the shore of the Gulf of Finland and is the seat of southern Finland's Uusimaa region. About people live in the municipali ...

- died 1810

Papeete Papeete (Tahitian language, Tahitian: ''Papeʻetē'', pronounced ; old name: ''Vaiʻetē''Personal communication with Michael Koch in ) is the capital city of French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of the France, French Republic in the Pacific ...

) was a Swedish/Finnish sailor, soldier and interpreter, known primarily for his years working as an official in the

Kingdom of Tahiti The Kingdom of Tahiti or the Tahitian Kingdom was a Polynesian monarchy founded by paramount chief Pōmare I, who, with the aid of British missionaries and traders, and European weaponry, unified the islands of Tahiti, Moʻorea, Teti‘aroa, ...

Background

Hagerstein was born in Helsinki in 1757, at a time when Finland was part of Sweden; therefore his nationality can be described as both Swedish and Finnish, but in some sources he is instead only described as a Swedish citizen. It is possible that 'Peter Hagerstein' was not his name at birth, but was anglicised when he became a sailor; his original name may have been Pehr Hagersten. Not much is known of his early life, until he was hired as a

deckhand An able seaman (AB) is a seaman and member of the deck department of a merchant ship with more than two years' experience at sea and considered "well acquainted with his duty". An AB may work as a watchstander, a day worker, or a combination ...

on the British merchant ship HMS ''Daedalus'' when it called in the port of Helsinki around 1790. Shortly afterwards, ''Daedalus'' joined the

Vancouver Expedition The Vancouver Expedition (1791–1795) was a four-and-a-half-year voyage of exploration and diplomacy, commanded by Captain George Vancouver of the Royal Navy. The British expedition circumnavigated the globe and made contact with five continen ...

of 1791-1795 as a support ship, with Hagerstein in the crew. He sailed with the ship from England, around

Cape Horn Cape Horn (, ) is the southernmost headland of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago of southern Chile, and is located on the small Hornos Island. Although not the most southerly point of South America (which is Águila Islet), Cape Horn marks the nor ...

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...

Nootka Island Nootka Island (; ) is the largest island off the west coast of Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada. It is in area. It is separated from Vancouver Island by Nootka Sound and its side-inlets, and is located within Electoral Area A of t ...

in British Columbia, and eventually to

Tahiti Tahiti (; Tahitian language, Tahitian , ; ) is the largest island of the Windward Islands (Society Islands), Windward group of the Society Islands in French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of France. It is located in the central part of t ...

Tahiti years

In February 1793, Hagerstein deserted ''Daedalus'' in Tahiti, and is on record as having 'gone native', eventually learning the

Tahitian language Tahitian (autonym: , , part of , , languages of French Polynesia) correspond to "languages of natives from French Polynesia", and may in principle designate any of the seven indigenous languages spoken in French Polynesia. The Tahitian language s ...

, marrying a local woman and settling down. He is described in various sources as having made his living initially as a beachcomber. Thanks to his language skills and understanding of western culture, Hagerstein found a role as translator/interpreter and influential advisor to Kings

Pōmare I Pōmare I (c. 1753 – September 3, 1803) (fully in old orthography: Tu-nui-ea-i-te-atua-i-Tarahoi Vaira'atoa Taina Pōmare I; also known as Tu or Tinah or Outu, or more formally as Tu-nui-e-a'a-i-te-atua) was the unifier and first king of T ...

and

Pōmare II Pōmare II (c. 1782 – 7 December 1821) (fully Tu Tunuieaiteatua Pōmare II or in modern orthography Tū Tū-nui-ʻēʻa-i-te-atua Pōmare II; historically misspelled as Tu Tunuiea'aite-a-tua), was the second king of Tahiti between 1782 and 182 ...

, mediating and assisting the Kings in dealing with traders, missionaries and other visitors. He is portrayed in a central position in the painting ''The Cession of the District of Matavai in the Island of Otaheite to Captain James Wilson for the use of the Missionaries Sent Thither by that Society in the Ship Duff'', by Robert Smirke, commemorating a land grant for the building of a mission in Tahiti. His knowledge of firearms led to Hagerstein also becoming involved in the King's military, and he was eventually promoted to the position of chief warrior. Later on Hagerstein appears to have fallen out of favour with King Pōmare II, to the extent where he considered switching his allegiance to a rival chief. He nevertheless remained associated with the King. He had at least one child of his own with a local woman, and looked after two other children. Peter Hagerstein died in Tahiti in 1810, possibly from complications arising from

elephantiasis Elephantiasis, often incorrectly called elephantitis, is the enlargement and hardening of limbs or body parts due to tissue swelling (edema). It is characterised by edema, hypertrophy, and fibrosis of skin and subcutaneous tissues, due to obstru ...

, which had afflicted him for long.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hagerstein, Peter 1757 births 1810 deaths Swedish sailors 18th-century Swedish military personnel People from the Kingdom of Tahiti Military personnel from Helsinki Swedish emigrants 18th-century Finnish military personnel Finnish emigrants Finnish sailors