The Moriori named these islands Rekohu, after the mist which hangs over the area. Here, the Moriori remained isolated until the European discoverers arrived in 1791. Although the Moriori are close relatives of the Maori, they have distinct features which indicate an independent colonisation from tropical Polynesia.

These first settlers were said to be descended from Te Aomarama and Rongomaiwhenua (which is Moriori for Sky Father and Earth Mother). The names of the three canoes bearing the first Moriori settlers were : Rangi Houa, Rangi Mata and Oropuke.

Similarly to the Maori, inter tribal warring led to a dangerous decline in the number of the Moriori population, and this was said to have been stopped by the chief Nunuku Whenua, who ordered no more warring to take place so that the population would not become decimated. If a dispute took place, the custom was to cease immediately at the first drawing of blood. In this way, the Moriori became a totally peaceful people.

The main activity in the harsh conditions of these islands at that time then became hunting birds, seal and shellfish for survival. The Moriori population increased to an estimated 2000, but later fell to around 1660 after the arrival of the first Europeans.

The Europeans arrived in the Chatham Islands (Rekohu) in 1791, as part of George Vancouver's expedition. The British Lieutenant Broughton sailed in on the brig "Chatham", took possession of the islands in the name of King George III, and gave them their present day name. As with Abel Tasman and Captain James Cook, the first confused encounters led to violence, with some Moriori being killed.

From 1793, whaling and sealing ships from Europe and North America began invading New Zealand and the Chathams, making the Chathams the centre of this industry. They largely ignored the Moriori "tapus" which were directed against killing on breeding grounds, and this European activity killed off one of the main sources of the Moriori diet.

In 1835 Maori tribes from the Wellington area arrived in the Chathams, driven south in search of new land, and claiming ownership of the Chathams. A number of Morioris were killed and others captured.

The Moriori numbers fell to 101. Most of the Maori eventually left the Chathams by 1870. It was Solomon's grandfather, the chief of the Rauru tribe, who convinced the Moriori to remain pacifist during the invasion of their land. Tame Horomona Rehe Solomon, known as Tommy Solomon, the last full blooded Moriori, died in 1933.

The Chatham Islands make up a group of ten islands, within a 40k radius, separated 800k from the city of Christchurch in the South Island of New Zealand. Only the two largest islands are inhabited, Chatham Island, with a population of around 700, and Pitt Island, with a population of around 70. The Chathams are part of New Zealand territory.

Pitt Island was named after William Pitt, first Earl of Chatham.


More about the Moriori---

Moriori ancestors
The Moriori lived on Rekohu (Chatham Island) and Rangiaotea (Pitt Island) – two islands in the Chatham Islands group, about 700 km south-east of Wellington.

According to the Moriori account, their ancestors included people of the Wheteina and Rauru tribes of Hawaiki, who came to Rekohu by canoe. They intermarried with people already living at Rekohu. These people were the Hamata tribe, descended from the founding ancestor, Rongomaiwhenua.

Nunuku’s Law
Isolated from mainland New Zealand, Moriori developed a unique culture based on a law of peace. This was called Nunuku’s Law, after the ancestor Nunuku-whenua. After seeing bloody conflict between the Hamata people and later arrivals, he banned murder and the eating of human flesh forever.

Later arrivals
After 1791, when the British ship Chatham called at Rekohu, Moriori came into contact with Europeans and Maori. These people came as crew on sealing and whaling vessels, and some settled on the islands and lived alongside the Moriori. This relative peace was shattered in 1835 when Maori of the Ngati Mutunga and Ngati Tama tribes arrived at the Chatham Islands in search of new territories and resources.

Moriori under attack
Ngati Mutunga and Ngati Tama immediately began slaughtering and enslaving the Moriori people. Although Moriori outnumbered them almost two to one, they chose to obey Nunuku’s Law and did not fight back. Approximately 300 were killed, and the rest were enslaved. The tribe was in danger of being destroyed completely. Following several Moriori petitions, the New Zealand government finally stepped in after 28 years. However, a land court in 1870 decided to give most of the Chatham Islands to Ngati Tama and Ngati Mutunga, despite the fact that most Maori had by this time returned to their homes in Taranaki.

Revival
It was once thought that Moriori were a Melanesian people. Many believed that Tommy Solomon, who died in 1933, was the last Moriori simply because he was the last known Moriori of full blood. However, a 1980 television documentary and a best-selling book published in 1989 included evidence that Moriori shared the same Polynesian ancestry as Maori, and had living descendants. In the 1990s, Moriori began to rebuild their culture and identity. As a result of their claim to the Waitangi Tribunal, the Moriori were recognised as the indigenous peoples of the Chatham Islands.

Chatham Island Moriori are active in conservation, commercial fisheries, tourism and other ventures. The Moriori language is gradually being revived. In January 2005 Moriori celebrated the opening of their marae and cultural centre, Te Kopinga (meaning ‘kopi grove’).