Social and
spiritual values
A delicate balance
Ancient Moriori on Rekohu killed only the old male seals and left no
carcasses on the rocks, as this would deter the seals from returning.
But English sealers in the early 1800s destroyed the island’s seal
colony, depriving Moriori of their main source of food and clothing.
At its peak, the Moriori population reached about 2,000.
The people belonged to nine tribes: Hamata, Wheteina, Eitara, Etiao,
Harua, Makao, Matanga, Poutama and Rauru.
To keep the population down to a level that the environment could cope
with some male infants were castrated.. To prevent inbreeding, marriage
between first, second and third cousins was strictly forbidden.
Moriori society was egalitarian compared to that of other Polynesian
peoples. Ieriki (chiefs) were chosen for their ability in a vital role,
such as fishing or bird catching, rather than on the basis of heredity.
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Carving a link
Momori rakau, Rakau hokoairo – dendroglyphs or tree carvings – made by
Moriori over the centuries can still be seen on trunks of kopi (karaka)
trees in parts of Rekohu. Theories about these carvings abound: they
have been said to be memorials to the dead, tributes to the gods, or
comparable to the carved ancestral figures in Māori meeting houses.
Whatever their original meaning, today they are seen as a powerful
spiritual link with the Moriori past.
Strong spiritual beliefs underlay the people’s sense of harmony with the
natural world. Resources were conserved by an intricate system of rules
and rituals that were strictly adhered to. Moriori were later described
even by their Māori tormentors as a ‘very tapu people’.
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An innovative raft
Moriori adapted to their life on Rekohu and the new
and harsher environment, developing such innovations as
the wash-through raft or korari. This craft, which had a base of inflated kelp and
sides of bound reeds, became partially waterlogged and was therefore
more stable in rough seas and high winds. It could navigate the seas
around the islands without capsizing as a conventional canoe would. The
largest of these vessels, the waka pahi, was over 12 metres long, and
was used for voyages to gather albatross chicks from offshore islands.
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New Arrivals
The British
In late November 1791 a British ship, the
Chatham, was blown
off course to Rekohu. Lieutenant William Broughton planted the British
flag and, claiming Rekohu in the name of King George III, named it
Chatham Island. In a misunderstanding with the ship’s crew, a Moriori
man named Tamakaroro was shot while defending his fishing nets. He was
the first Moriori to be killed by gunfire. The elders believed Moriori
were partly responsible and devised an appropriate ritual for greeting
visitors in future.
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Sealers and whalers
Sealers and whalers were a familiar sight on the Chatham Islands from
the early 1800s. They brought with them diseases to which Moriori had no
immunity. Some of their boats had Māori crew members, and news of the
islands reached Māori on mainland New Zealand.
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Māori misnomer
Before 1835 some Māori came to Rekohu (Chatham Island) with sealers, and
several became residents. One man of Ngāti Toa settled at Wharekauri.
Lacking knowledge of the Moriori language, he failed to distinguish
between the name for the settlement and the name for the island. On his
return to the mainland of New Zealand he spoke of Rekohu as Wharekauri.
It has been called that by Māori ever since.
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