S1-E47: Niue: The Wild Islet

Only the wicked are offered,” says the priest—and Captain Cook believes him. But when painted warriors hurl spears at his crew on a nameless reef island, even that belief is shaken.

In this episode, we leave behind the peaceful shores of Raiatea—where silent prayers rise to invisible gods, pigs are sacrificed at sacred marae, and the high priest alone claims to speak with the divine. Georg Forster reflects on these mysteries and contrasts them with his Enlightenment ideals, finding in Christianity’s clarity a rebuttal to what he calls the “religious deception” of secrecy and hierarchy.

**The muskets failed—only the spears spoke. – Click on the image to listen to this episode on YouTube.**

But reflection turns to danger when the Resolution reaches an uncharted coral island. There, black-painted warriors emerge from the cliffs—armed, unwelcoming, and swift to attack. Muskets misfire. Spears fly. Cook is nearly struck. And Forster himself ends up smeared with the black war paint of a near miss.

What follows is both a scientific report and a human reckoning—with disease, cultural misunderstanding, and the colonial urge to “name and possess.” This episode takes us from sacred groves to cannon salutes, from native tears to open gunfire. And in between, a young man named Maheine weeps for friends leaving forever.