Comedian Jim Gaffigan promotes Moriori, Māori myth in Amazon Prime special

Just as New Zealand vows to learn its own correct history, an American comedian is pushing one of the most hurtful myths in this country's indigenous history - on the world stage.

In his show "Quality Time", on Amazon Prime, comedian Jim Gaffigan has repeated a long-debunked myth that Morirori were the first people to settle New Zealand, until they were conquered - and eaten - by Māori.

"Māori were not even the first people in New Zealand," says Gaffigan, as part of a skit that also discusses Aboriginal people and Christopher Columbus' arrival in America.

"The first people were the Moriori, and then the Māori came and ate them. Not even making that up."

Andrew Little and Maui Solomon after initiallising the Moriori and Crown deed of settlement in August. Photo / Audrey Young

In August, Moriori initialled their deed of settlement to address Crown breaches of the Treaty of Waitangi, which negotiator Maui Solomon said "put to bed" the myths and stigma long directed towards Moriori.

"That myth, that Māori forced the Moriori out of New Zealand, has been used as a stick to beat Maori with, to justify colonisation," Solomon said at the time.

"The idea Māori displaced Moriori was taught to generations of New Zealanders, and it could take generations to correct that."

@JimGaffigan Hi from New Zealand. Saw your Netflix special but had to stop at 46 mins after "The Morimori? The Maori ATE them" spiel.

Factually wrong.
Quite bloody offensive.

Please take a minute and read the following article.
Or call @AJemaineClement https://t.co/G7mPvwVzPs

— Tanya Fretz (@tanyafretz) September 12, 2019

Moriori were their own, distinct people, and arrived to Rekohu, Rangihaute, Hokorereoro, and other nearby islands (making up the Chatham Islands) between 1000 and 1400AD.

The myth of displacement was long peddled, along with the idea they were racially inferior, by the Government through school textbooks.

The myths subsequently spread beyond the classroom to New Zealand's media and society; were discussed in letters to newspapers and on talkback radio; and used
by the public, and by politicians debating in Parliament to justify the Pākehā colonisation
of New Zealand.

In his show Gaffigan also dives further into the notion of Māori cannibalism.

"The British had conquered the world, colonies on every continent, and by the time they got to New Zealand, they were like, 'We've done this before, let's meet with the locals and take over'.

"So they met with the Māori and they were like, 'So what happened to these Moriori people? Did you kill them?' And they were like, 'yeah, and then we ate them,' and the English were like, 'We were thinking we could share the islands'. Do you wanna share them?'

"'You're not hungry now are you? Get them shepherds pie, tell them it's made out of shepherds'.

"They were cannibals."

The Herald has approached Amazon Prime for comment.

Today the Government announced New Zealand history would be taught in all schools, and include the arrival of Māori, colonial history, Te Tiriti o Waitangi/Treaty of Waitangi, colonisation and the New Zealand Wars, among other topics.