While the date of Mauatua's birth is not historically recorded, in later life she claimed to have witnessed the arrival of
James Cook in
Tahiti in 1769. This information, combined with an estimate that she was 23 or 24 years old in 1788 when
HMS Bounty arrived, suggests that she was born circa 1764. The suffix
-atua means 'for god/gods' and indicates a position within nobility. Mauatua left Tahiti with
Fletcher Christian and the mutineers; before they reached
Pitcairn Island, they attempted to begin a new settlement at
Tubuai. She was the oldest woman to travel with the mutineers, and became a matriarch of the new society that was ultimately founded by them on Pitcairn Island. She married Fletcher Christian, and they had two sons and a daughter. After Christian's death, Mauatua became the partner of
Edward Young, with whom she had three children: Edward, Polly, and Dorothea. They adapted the process to reflect the natural materials they had access to. Many of the group were killed by infectious diseases they had no immunity to. This included her son Thursday October. According to her descendant,
Glyn Christian, Mauatua was instrumental in having the right to vote for women on Pitcairn made into law in 1838. Mauatua died on 19 September 1841 after catching
influenza. After her death,
Teraura remained as the only survivor of the original settlers and the island's oldest inhabitant. == Legacy ==