The Chatham Islanders

How the early Chatham Islanders adapted to their new home. When the polynesian people came from New Zealand to the Chatham Islands they had to adapt or change their way of doing things. Firstly they found out that when they moved they couldn’t grow their normal foods which were… Taro, Yam and Kumara, nor could they grow any vegetables at all because the cooler climate prevented their vegetables from growing. They had to adapt or change the way they ate, but the sea and the land gave them more choices for food to eat. The Moriori people of the Chatham Islands had to learn how to fish, hunt and kill. Soon they became good at all these things, but they needed stronger boats to carry their people to the different islands because the seals the killed were found in their colonies to one island, so they had to find that island, and because the different birds and fish were a little far from their home. So they got to work, the amazing boat they created was made out of reeds and at the bottom of the boat they put a little cage and filled it with kelp (seaweed). It had a stern and a bow and it was controlled by oars. The boat was very thick and big, they called it the “ wash through waka ‘’ because the water went through the boat to help the kelp go up so it would help it float. The reason why they didn’t sink was because the water didn’t stay in, once it went in it went straight out.

I learnt about the Chatham islanders.