Poedua (circa 1758 – ?) was a princess, daughter of Orea (Orio), King of Ulietea (Raiatea).National Maritime Museum. Poedua, the Daughter of Orio, b. circa 1758 She was taken hostage together with her father, brother, and husband during the third voyage of James Cook in exchange for two sailors that had deserted onto the island.Lenore Manderson, Margaret Jolly. Sites of desire, economies of pleasure, University of Chicago Press, 1997, p. 104 The hostages were enticed on board and imprisoned until Orea secured the return of the deserters.
For many contemporaries John Webber's portrait of Poedua epitomized the sensual image of the South Sea maiden.Michael Sturma. South Sea maidens, Greenwood Publishing Group, 2002, p. 24
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