Queequeg

Queequeg is a South Sea islander who left his home to explore the world. He is the first principal character encountered by the narrator, Ishmael, and the two quickly become friends. Queequeg is a tattooed cannibal, but he is also a kind and generous man. He is a skilled harpooner, and he becomes the harpooner for the mate Starbuck aboard the whaling ship Pequod. Melville drew inspiration for Queequeg from a description in George Lillie Craik's book, The New Zealanders (1830), of Te Pēhi Kupe, a Māori chief of the Ngāti Toa iwi famous for his travels in England.