Moriori genocide

Quick Facts: Who was Moriori genocide?

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Moriori genocide

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The mass murder and enslavement of the indigenous Chatham Islands people by Māori.

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Origins & Early Life

The Moriori genocide was the mass murder, enslavement, and cannibalisation of the Moriori people, the indigenous ethnic group of the Chatham Islands, by members of Ngāti Mutunga and Ngāti Tama, two Māori iwi from mainland New Zealand, from 1835 to 1863. The invaders murdered around 300 Moriori and enslaved the remaining population. This, together with diseases brought by Europeans, caused the population to drop from 1,700 in 1835 to 100 in 1870. The last individual of sole-Moriori ancestry, Tommy Solomon, died in 1933. The Moriori are the indigenous population of the Chatham Islands (Moriori: Rēkohu), specifically Chatham Island and Pitt Island.

Career & Major Achievements

It is thought that Moriori have the same Polynesian ancestry as Māori people. According to oral tradition the Moriori came to the Chatham Islands from Eastern Polynesia around 1500 AD, a couple of hundred years after Māori first arrived on the mainland, and that later migration came from mainland New Zealand. Mainstream academic opinion holds that Moriori did arrive around 1500, but from New Zealand. By the time of invasion, Moriori had formed their own culture adapted to their isolated island environment and its marine resources. The Moriori population peaked at around 2,000 people, divided among nine tribes.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

After bloody inter-tribal conflict on the islands, the high-ranking Moriori chief Nunuku-whenua introduced a philosophy of non-violence in the 16th century, known as Nunuku's Law. This law became engrained in Moriori culture. In November 1791, the British survey brig, HMS Chatham, was blown off course to the islands, which were then claimed for Britain in a formal flag-raising ceremony by the ship's commander, Lieutenant William Broughton. In a misunderstanding with the ship's crew, a Moriori man, Tamakaroro, was shot dead. Moriori elders believed Tamakaroro was partly at fault for the shooting and planned appropriate visitor greeting rituals.

Chronological Milestones & Life Events

1. 1500: 1500 Milestone — According to oral tradition the Moriori came to the Chatham Islands from Eastern Polynesia around 1500 AD, a couple of hundred years after Māori first arrived on the mainland, and that later migration came from mainland New Zealand.
2. 1791: 1791 Milestone — In November 1791, the British survey brig, HMS Chatham, was blown off course to the islands, which were then claimed for Britain in a formal flag-raising ceremony by the ship's commander, Lieutenant William Broughton.
3. 1835: 1835 Milestone — The Moriori genocide was the mass murder, enslavement, and cannibalisation of the Moriori people, the indigenous ethnic group of the Chatham Islands, by members of Ngāti Mutunga and Ngāti Tama, two Māori iwi from mainland New Zealand, from 1835 to 1863.
4. 1933: 1933 Milestone — The last individual of sole-Moriori ancestry, Tommy Solomon, died in 1933.

Historical Fact-Check Quiz: Moriori genocide

True or False: “The Moriori population was entirely wiped out by European diseases before any conflict with the Māori tribes.”

Answer (FALSE ❌): While disease contributed to the decline, the initial catastrophic loss of life stemmed directly from the 1835 invasion and subsequent enslavement by Ngāti Mutunga and Ngāti Tama.

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