The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1894-12-26
LEAVINGT TIE EARTH
THE VANISHING .oeiORiS Or The
CHATHAM ISLANDS.

A Peaceful and Happy People. with Many
OF the Traits OF Civilization Uasn Con-
quercd and Ensiaved By the MaoriH.
Simple Forms of Life.
There are living in the Chatham Islands,
$50 miles southeast 81 New Zealand. abcus
e5 persons, the remnant os the curious
Moriori people, long inhabitants Of the
group. Alexander Shand. who is the only
scholar acquainted with the Moriori Ian
{ guaSe. has lived 50 years aIncag these pco-
{ pie and gives An account of them tarossa
tic journal Of the Polynosian society Of
! Wellington, New Zealand
7 The Norioris, according TO their own
account, seem 10 be OF the same Polvnc-
J sian race as that found In New salanci
on the arrival OF the Maoris - generations
/ ago. The Maoris conquered the Chatham
/ islands in 1855. and since then the Moric-
ris have rapidly disappeared They num-
/ bered nc the time OF the conquest about
/ 1000 souls. Their main island, which
contains nine-tenths OF the AREA OF the
/ group, measures 500 square miles.
| The Morioris are much like the Macris
but n little darker. and their features are
somewhat more Hehraic, their noses being
often strongly hookcd. A portal, of .
Moriori shows a somewhat scrawny, wrin-
Killed. face, with straight nose. prominens
eyes, thick thatch Of wavy hair a stub
by mustache and a short, scruhhy beard
The Norioris had and have less energy
and yivacity than the Ma0ris, and they
were less wariike. Indeed they have
tradition that fighting was forbidden and
ceased in the days OF their ancestor Num-
ku, "a generations ago. Since then the
only weapon Of these people has been thu
quarter staff, and homicide has been almost
II not quite unknown among them.
Nunuku ordered that man staying and
man eating should stop. and that every
combat of blows should cease so soon az
blood should be shed When this happen.
ed, the injured one cried out. MY head Is
brokenr' and at once the fight stopped.
These people, however. kept up a curious
mimicry OF warfare, going among enemies
of the same race, reciting nominations and
pronouncing curses. These mimic war;
often followed the infidclity of wives
Marriage was usual among them, and be-
fore the Maori conquest large families
were common.
After their enslavement, however, in
crease almost ceased, and the enslaved
were sometimes found dead of . morning
In their houses without apparent cause.
The taboo was potent among these people,
and they were compelled after tho con-
quest 70 do things that desecrated theis
tabu.
The Morior;s lived together in small
communities. They inhabited A shaped
buts of reeds sometimes lined for warmth.
They had cooking huts separate from the
sleeping huts, and the former were taboo
ct ha Nf,v. a
rately, and there were ordinarily but two
meals day, at Q or 10 o'clock In the
morning and about O'Clock I'm tho after
noon. In the winters OF years when food
was scarce they had but one meal day.
but occasionally in times Of plenty they
rose to the luxury Of three meals day.
Their food was fish, the flesh OF seals and
Of several wild birds. One Of the latter,
the mehonui. Is now extinct IL was largcs
than q goose, and from Its habit OF con-
stantly roofing In the ground for food 10
could easily bo approached and seized.
The mehoriEi, also an extinct bird, was
favorite food Of tho Morioris, and there
was a closed season in which this bird
might. not BE- killed. The Moriori caught
the young Of sea birds before they could
fy, potted them and preserved the meat
by wrapping IL up and burying 1t In the
ground.
The seal was caught for clothing As well
rs for food, and the Morioris had lumber
ing deep water, raftlike boats for sealing.
They yentured TO sea In these. taking care,
however, 70 note the state Of the moon in
order not 10 be swept far out
When Europeans came TO the islands, the
seals. which had been slain only In small
numbers by the Morioris, were destroyed
in great numbers, and the Norioris after
that went half naked for lack Of their no
customed material for clothing They
tried % recover lost art of mat weaving.
but were saved tho trouble by their con-
querors, the Maoris, who taught them the
Maori art Of weaving, SO that they might
De clothed
The usual Poly nesian method Of strikina
a light by rubbing pointed stick in .
groove worn i'm piece Of softer wood was
the method OF the Moricris, and the WON
en- carefully guarded the firing wood thai
IL should not get damp.
After the PRONUNCIATION OF the laws
against war the Morioris laid aside most u
their weapons or turned them 20 peaceful
uses. Their stone battle ar was used 10
cut timber They had wedges for split
ting. and chisels for making holes Ia wood.
eious things and other baskets of palmer
make % hold fruit. They made fshinS
nets Of many forms out % common far.
The calabash does no, grow on tho Is
lands, 50 the Soricris carried water in
hOrBsbaped vessels inads Of sroen tag
leaves.
The boats % the M0rforis differed great
~ from those of al other Poiynesian poo
pies. They had no true canoe. but a heavy
built up craft that was pulled with 6lai-
Guilty, though IL was very ssanch in
rough sea The Island hal no timber hsS
enough TO b. followed into caboe- ani
for this reason the raft principle was sub
stituted The rats were foore<I with ths
flower stalls % a plant These beats vera
big enough 20 cary 90 OF 20 pcrsons ard
were propelled By paddles. The Mori0fis
carried fire on their boats and had on TIE
floor hearfbiiks arrangements Of stone and
earth for the ernbers % r.st upon
The race was divided into tribes. and
each tribe had chlef. the eldest born %
the principal family. who wac sCsostlusss
also priast. Chiefs and al old Fnsn Sers
excessiinzlJ taboo. and no enc darri to
pass behInd priest or an slsisr. Sh0uid
any one negiigsn;ly d. - TIE offended
ere world ery W back. rny bsckf+' Tie
shlst tDok prrcotsenoe q sil AID 10 ons
nodded with "a fanc;i0as The pries-s
were tie ATTEST uasa- Slavery was an
known.
i.sch ;rihe had its own serflGs q ooga-
.rr. bat as fAe Mgr5crls did not cuisissss
Ne soil owner.hiP in IL eriendesi osiy "a
he rfyhi 81 o0cg5ascy and o ;Ae tsking