The Pōmare dynasty was the reigning family of the Kingdom of Tahiti between the unification of the islands by Pōmare I in 1788 and Pōmare V's cession of the kingdom to France in 1880. Their influence once spanned most of the Society Islands, the Austral Islands and the Tuamotu Archipelago. The scientific name Pomarea of the Polynesian monarch flycatchers was established in honour of this dynasty. It was first used for the species from Tahiti by René Lesson and Prosper Garnot, and subsequently for the entire genus. History The ancestors of the family ultimately descended from an individual named Tu from the island of Fakarava in the Tuamotus who was adopted as heir by Mauaihiti, Ari'i of Pare. Settling in Tahiti, the dynasty became the district chieftains or ari'i rahi of Porionuʻu (including the smaller districts of Pare and Arue) and intermarried with the Tamatoa family from the island of Raiatea. With foreign weapons, chief Tu gradually took over control of the other parts of the island of Tahiti, and then brought the islands of Moorea, Mehetia, and Tetiaroa into a single entity. Chief Tu later adopted the name Pōmare. Pō-mare means 'night cougher', a nickname he took, as was common in that time, in honor of his daughter Teriinavahoroa who died from tuberculosis in 1792. Through subsequent inheritance, adoptions, and marriage alliances, the dynasty at its peak included all the Society Islands with a member of the family ruling in Tahiti, Raiatea and Bora Bora. Tahiti also controlled some of the outlying islands of the Austral Islands and the Tuamotu Archipelago. Tahiti and its dependencies were made a French protectorate in 1842, and largely annexed as a colony of France in 1880. The monarchy was abolished by France and Tahiti annexed in 1880. The last reigning monarch of the dynasty was Teriimaevarua III, Queen of Bora Bora, who abdicated in 1895. There are still pretenders and many Tahitians still wish for a return of the monarchy, some of whom claim that the act of abolishing the monarchy was either outright illegal, or outside of certain jurisdictions. Pōmare Monarchs Pōmare I, Tu Vairaatoa Taina (1791–1803) Pōmare II, Tu Tunuieaiteatua (1803–1815) Pōmare III, Teriitaria (1821–1827) Pōmare IV, Aimata (1827–1877) Pōmare V, Teriitaria Teratane (1877–1880) Current status Until his death in 2013, Tauatomo Mairau claimed to be the heir to the Tahitian throne, and had attempted to re-assert the status of the