The historical claims of Moriori are significant. When the Crown annexed the Chatham Islands in 1842, it extended protections under Te Tiriti o Waitangi to Moriori. At that time, Moriori were living in a state of enslavement, with severely depleted numbers on Rēkohu as a result of settlement there by two iwi whose traditional rohe was Taranaki. The Crown was aware that Moriori had been subjugated and that many had died at the hands of their captors. Moriori karāpuna pleaded for the protection owed to them, but for many years, the Crown failed to act to end Moriori subjugation. As a result, even more karāpuna suffered greatly and died in oppressive conditions, including some who died of an illness known to Moriori as kongenge, a deep despair of the spirit. 