The descendants of the Bounty mutineers include the modern-day Pitcairn Islanders and just under half of the people living on Norfolk Island. These people are descended from the nine mutineers who survived the mutiny on the merchant ship HMS Bounty in 1789 while the ship sailed through the south Pacific Ocean. Other descendants of the mutineers also live in New Zealand, Australia, and the United States.

Origins

The nine mutineers from HMS Bounty arrived on Pitcairn Island on January 15, 1790, along with eleven Tahitian women and six Tahitian men. Each mutineer married one of the Tahitian women, while the remaining two women were shared among the six Tahitian men, which caused unhappiness. According to author Caroline Alexander, the women were shared among the mutineers. Fletcher Christian, Ned Young, John Adams, John Mills, William McCoy, and Matthew Quintal each had relationships with six Tahitian women. Mauatua, Toofaiti, Vahineatua, and Teio had children from two mutineers and one of their sons. Tevarua and Teraura had only one partner. Together, they had 24 children, who later had 77 children. Due to the small population on the island, many descendants married relatives, including first and second cousins.

When John Williams and John Adams' wives died, they took control of two Tahitian men's wives. The Tahitian women planned to kill the mutineers in revenge, but two of the planners were killed instead. On September 20, 1793, the four remaining Tahitian men stole weapons and killed Christian, Mills, Brown, Martin, and Williams. The remaining mutineers—Adams, McCoy, Quintal, and Young, with help from Teraura, Ned Young's wife—killed the Tahitian man Tetahiti while he slept and then killed the Tahitian men. In 1798, McCoy built a still and, along with Quintal and some women, often drank alcohol heavily. On April 20, 1798, McCoy tied a rock to his neck with a rope and jumped off a cliff to die. Quintal became increasingly unpredictable and threatened to harm the mutineers and their wives. In 1799, Adams and Young killed Quintal. Young died from an asthma attack in 1800. Adams lived until 1829. Occasionally, new people arrived on the island and brought new last names, such as Samuel Russell Warren from the United States, whose descendants still live on Pitcairn today.

Other descendants

The Pitcairn Islands have been ruled by many people over time, most of whom are descendants of the Bounty mutineers until today.

In 1935, after the release of the popular American movie Mutiny on the Bounty, which was shown that year, MGM Studios made a short documentary titled Pitcairn Island Today. This film, produced by Eugene H. Roth and narrated by Carey Wilson, shares the stories of some descendants of the Bounty mutineers. These people were native to Pitcairn and lived in the only village on the island, called Adamstown.

The documentary includes a list of descendants of the Bounty mutineers. In addition to these, three other individuals are mentioned: Andrew Warren, who is the grandson of a whaler who arrived on Pitcairn around 1875 and is not a descendant of the mutineers; and Dora Warren and Roy Clark, whose direct connection to the mutineers is not clearly explained in the film.

Another documentary, Pitcairn People, was made in 1962. Directed by Peter Newington and narrated by Patrick Wymark, it was produced by the British Petroleum Company and featured many island residents at that time. A third documentary, Miracle on Pitcairn Island, was created in the 1960s by the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. Eric Were directed and wrote the film, and it was narrated by Neal C. Wilson. This film also included many of the same residents.