Auna (c. 1790 – 1835) was a Tahitian missionary to

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

. A chief of

Raiatea Raiatea or Ra'iatea ( Tahitian: ''Ra‘iātea'') is the second largest of the Society Islands, after Tahiti, in French Polynesia. The island is widely regarded as the "centre" of the eastern islands in ancient Polynesia and it is likely that the ...

, he was one of the first Tahitians to be converted by the

London Missionary Society The London Missionary Society was an interdenominational evangelical missionary society formed in England in 1795 at the instigation of Welsh Congregationalist minister Edward Williams. It was largely Reformed in outlook, with Congregational miss ...

's work in the

Society Islands The Society Islands (french: Îles de la Société, officially ''Archipel de la Société;'' ty, Tōtaiete mā) are an archipelago located in the South Pacific Ocean. Politically, they are part of French Polynesia, an overseas country of the F ...

; he then became a deacon on

Huahine Huahine is an island located among the Society Islands, in French Polynesia, an overseas territory of France in the Pacific Ocean. It is part of the Leeward Islands group ''(Îles sous le Vent).'' At the 2017 census it had a population of 6,075. ...

. In April 1822, he was sent with six other Tahitian Christians as a missionary to Hawaii, in response to a request from the

American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions The American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions (ABCFM) was among the first American Christian missionary organizations. It was created in 1810 by recent graduates of Williams College. In the 19th century it was the largest and most imp ...

, who wanted assistance for their missionaries who were working in the island group. Auna continued working in Hawaii until March 1824, when he returned to the Society Islands. Auna's journal continues to be used as a source by historians and anthropologists.

References

People from Tahiti 1790s births Year of birth uncertain 1835 deaths Protestant missionaries in Hawaii Converts to Christianity French Polynesian Protestant missionaries People from Raiatea {{FrenchPolynesia-bio-stub