Comedian Jim Gaffigan peddles Moriori myth in US television special | The Spinoff

[@BurtAsher]

I live in Aotearoa (New Zealand) and teach history classes. It is true that two Maori tribes all but annihilated the Moriori. This is not a myth. The only quibble that could be made is that it wasn't "all" of the Maori who did this, but rather two tribes. Otherwise, this is not a myth. It is real. Just because some people misuse this history to diminish Maori grievances doesn't make it untrue. It really happened. The cannibalisation and enslavement of the Moriori by the Maori is historical fact. All of our ancestors (whether you are white black asian etc.) used to be cannibals. It is gross to think about. But it is not all that crazy or unusual.

[@eeeaten]

there are two key points and you've only covered one here. the other is that contrary to popular belief, this did not happen in mainland nz, and didn't happen until after european arrival. it's presented as a story of maori wiping out the original people of nz, but that part is not true. and that part was used by europeans to justify their destruction of maori societies - most of whom had nothing to do with the attack on moriori in the chatham islands in 1835.

[@ajorfev]

@@eeeaten you really think other maori tribes would've treated moriori (and hypothethical natives of mainland New Zealand if there existed) any different and the two tribes that went to Chatham islands were just "the bad apples"? 🤭

[@eeeaten]

@@ajorfev yes, iwi maori were very diverse - some were farmers, some traders, some warriors. it's a myth that maori were all one people or very similar at all, they were separate peoples, although their ancestors were all from eastern polynesia. regardless it's not relevant. it's absurd to blame all maori for what happened in the chathams, that's like blaming all europeans for the actions of the nazis.

[@insertnamehere5809]

How is this a lie?, the Moriori were wiped out by the Māori in the Chatham Islands & the last full blood Moriori (Tommy Solomon) died in the 1930's

[@maapauu4282]

There are still over 900 Moriori alive today, you are spreading Racist myths designed to justify genocide.

[@karfomachet7265]

Tommy Solomon had several children of mixed Moriori & Māori . Other Moriori had children to. As it goes any person with Moriori blood is Moriori over 1000 people living today have Moriori blood and so are Moriori . The current Moriori leader Maui Solomon is a descendent of Tommy , a great gran son .

[@flashrobbie]

1. full blooded is your way of measuring things, a Moriori is a Moriori through bloodlines and being claimed by their community 2. He says New Zealand not the Chathams. 3. two tribes were responsible for wiping out and enslaving them, two tribes does not mean Maori, other tribes have acknowledged Moriori as having still tangata when status in The Chathams.

[@matthewmann8969]

Technically both where Polynesian clusters, blankets, sheets, quilts, covers, toppings, extractions, stocks, or cloths

[@ficanning6135]

I'm a kiwi and I remember in the 70's, 80s onward this BS was often trotted out as a reason why the treaty of Waitangi didn't need to be honoured.

[@brendonrookes1151]

no the reason the waitangi treaty dosnt need to be honered is honi heki cut down the english flag pole the monent that flag touched soil ur people should of been given same treatment as abbos

[@maapauu4282]

@@brendonrookes1151 One person cut down the English flag, and that deserved the killing and deception to multiple Maori Maori groups? Wow, if that's true, the colonizers must have been the touchiest bunch on the planet... Maori were more than happy to give equal treatment. And the dishonouring of te Tiriti o Waitangi was before the flag incident. Maybe learn some New Zealand history before telling fake racist stuff. And "abbos" is something that you shouldn't use.

[@brendonrookes1151]

@@maapauu4282 oh fuck off if it wasnt for my ancestors yall still be flinging sticks moari's of the time were practicaly prehistoric just becouse u dont like facts dosnt mean im racist the fact is your lifes better becouse white mans here truth is you guys couldnt go back to ur old way if u tried becouse that would involve giving up all western luxurys and we both know your not strong enought to give up every thing the west gave u power medicne comercial farming housing electricity cars the internet ur using to hate on the white man if it wasnt for us you would still be in the stone age

[@superkiwistar]

Moriori were not Maori. They pre-dated Maori, and believed in non-violence. The last tribe of Moriori were living peacefully on the Chatham Islands until invaded by two North Island tribes of Maori who slaughtered most without mercy, hunting them down, and killing them without resistance. Survivors became slaves, made to desecrate their holy places, and forbidden from marrying other Moriori - ie Genocide. Maori should acknowledge what they did, pay reparations, and ask for forgiveness - but, don't hold your breath.

[@trill-evolve]

Ur position of hate towards maoridom as a whole is very revealing u feel ur colonial grip is slipping so ur using the pain of moriori tupuna to attack the tangata whenua. moriori and Maori may have slight differences in some spiritual beliefs but essentially the same as do catholic and prosdestant but both derive from the abrahamic faiths

[@nospinzone8099]

If you cared at all about the Moriori, you might want to acknowledge their living decedents and give their history the respect it deserves. Haven't they suffered enough? Its an established fact (DNA testing) the Moriori are part of the same migration to NZ as the Maori. They migrated to the Chatman islands in the 1500s. If you have evidence to the contrary please state your sources? By the way, it wasn't 'the Maori' who attacked the Moriori on the Chatham islands. The attack happened in 1835, the word 'Maori' wasn't used until the signing of the treaty of Waitangi in 1940, as way for the British to describe the Indigenous people of NZ. Back then the tribes where not united, you belonged to your tribe and each tribe saw themselves as distinct. It was the Ngāti Mutunga and Ngāti Tama tribes who attacked the Moriori, who themselves had been displaced by the ongoing musket wars. Guess who bought the muskets to NZ? The musket wars devastated a lot of tribes across NZ. This myth of the Maori wiping out the Moriori also conveniently forgets that they where also devastated by diseases bought by Europeans. Maybe one day we will get the history right, but I'm not holding my breath either...

[@xtiancolquhoun7410]

@@nospinzone8099 that logic makes no sense, by your logic the British don't have to apologise to Māori because there was no such thing as Māori when it happened.

[@nospinzone8099]

@@xtiancolquhoun7410 its not logic, it's history I'm referring to. How can one tribe be held accountable for the decisions of another tribe? They didn't even know what they where doing. If they where united under one umbrella, the musket wars wouldn't have happened in the first place. Using the logic your suggesting one good say ALL white people committed atrocities against the Jews during the 2nd world war, due to the actions of the Germans. Which is ridiculous and makes no sense. Your logic also suggest, the Germans are no longer responsible for those atrocities because they joined the European Union. Nice try, but sorry, your argument doesn't really fair well with logic or history

[@superhoriguy3164]

Wow so wrong on most

[@Mister_8tee7]

Morioris are still walking this earth

[@roberto8650]

"Myth. Hahahaha

[@grantthompson9131]

Funny because Maori n Moriori actually have the same DNA. And Moriori were originally from Chatham Island not N.Z. Maori were the first people in N.Z! American know nothing of Maori history.

[@realgrilledsushi]

LMFAO

[@eeeaten]

i wonder if he now knows he made such a mess of this.

[@Itsraininben]

Care to elaborate?

[@eeeaten]

@@Itsraininben there's an explanation in the link in the description.

[@twikiriwhi]

Not a Myth... I'm a New Zealand Maori.... My ancestors were Warlike Canibals... its a fact.

[@oliverwilson11]

It is a myth. You should read the historical account in the Moriori Deed of Settlement, where the Crown admits that it helped to spread this myth. www.govt.nz/treaty-settlement-documents/moriori/ Moriori were the indigenous people of the Chatham Islands, not of mainland New Zealand. They were invaded by Māori in 1835, decades AFTER Pakeha arrived in both the Chatham Islands and mainland NZ. They were not wiped out, but they were enslaved by the Māori invaders for about 25 years.

[@shiftleft]

Some Maori tribes were cannibals though right? Correct me if wrong

[@oliverwilson11]

@@shiftleft That's correct. Many Moriori were cannibalised after the Chatham Islands were invaded, that part is true. The parts of the story that are myth are that Moriori lived in mainland NZ, that they were wiped out, and that this happened before the arrival of Europeans

[@vernga01]

@@oliverwilson11 correct

[@brendonrookes1151]

@@oliverwilson11 yeah where could you go wrong taking the word of people acused of eating there enemy

[@chonny821]

Um no they wernt

[@monkeypie8701]

maori, nah maoriaori, now youre talkin

[@stephenhoward7454]

This bloke would have a great time here , so much lies in NZ society&culture it would sooo funny

[@NiueanCA]

lol

[@johnwerahiko6226]

Funny

[@charlesw852]

Not a myth at all.

[@eeeaten]

lol yes it is. i wonder what other myths you believe in?

[@christiano9693]

​@@eeeaten what do you mean by "yes it is" because we recognize you guys at first glimpse. You self identifying "progressives" always do this, you said "yes is a myth" but what you mean by that is not how a normal person would use the word, you just change the meanings at convenience. For you use the word myth here can mean "yea, is true but this happened on Wednesday not in Monday so it's a myth" We don't know if this happened in all New Zealand or if moriori ethnicity was exclusive of the islands invaded in 1830. That's what you mean? That the guy is not specific enough and can create a wrong impression?

[@eeeaten]

@@christiano9693 i mean the moriori as the first people in nz, displaced by maori, is 100% myth, debunked by henry skinner a hundred years ago. that nonsense about progressives sure is weird. we're talking about facts, so i hope you're not going to be offended by facts, princess?

[@christiano9693]

@@eeeaten okey, what i was thinking, lack of specificity by the comedian. But you choose just to say is a myth and that wasn't innocent, the supposed myth is that happening in all NZ and that's is impossible to know today, just an probably interested assumption by some people. This happened in those islands so the comedian is not lying, it's just not being specific. It's not a history class, is a comedy my fellow princess.

[@eeeaten]

@@christiano9693 the idea of maori killing off moriori as a the first people of nz is a very common myth in nz. every time we see that myth we should challenge it. the genocide of moriori happened after european arrival. the facts of our history are important.

[@kingkon8765]

You dont even know your own whakapapa (history) mr pakeha, us tangata whenua married the people who were here and we who are here now are the outcome of that🤦🏽‍♂️🤦🏽‍♂️🤦🏽‍♂️, needa learn the true history, nice try though 🤣🤣🤣

[@eeeaten]

what are you talking about

[@blllllllllllllllllllrlrlrl7059]

Nice try cannibal

[@rexjaru]

So... we shouldn’t get our historical facts from comedians then? ‘My God... then what are comedians good for!!!’

[@warujr]

That is not what happened.

[@trill-evolve]

Moriori are a tribe of Maori. Spoke same language same cultural practises moriori are still alive becoz Maori are still alive

[@trill-evolve]

@John Banks cool story bro...

[@vernga01]

wrong

[@eeeaten]

@@vernga01 wrong how?

[@mb68nz35]

Moriori are from the Chatham Islands.

[@maapauu4282]

@@vernga01 Wrong how?