Moriori is the name of a culture that was believed to predate the Maori of New Zealand. In the 1800's, anthropologists in New Zealand discovered evidence of a local culture that differed from Maori culture. They believed that it belonged to people who had lived in the country before the Maori. They called these people Moriori. Archaeologists now realize that "Moriori" culture was an early form of Maori culture. The Maori on the Chatham Islands developed apart from the rest of the Maori in New Zealand. As a result, their culture became rather different. See Maori.