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The hei-tiki (/ heɪˈtɪki /) [1] is an ornamental pendant of the Māori of New Zealand. Hei-tiki are usually made of pounamu (greenstone), and are considered a taonga (treasure) by Māori. They are commonly called tiki by New Zealanders, a term that originally refers to the first mortal. (The word hei in Māori can mean "to wear around the neck".)
hei-tiki, neck pendant hand-carved in the form of a stylized human and worn by the Māori people of New Zealand (Aotearoa). Hei means something suspended from the neck, and tiki is a broad term used throughout Polynesia to refer to carved human figures.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
- The Supernatural & Physical Origins of The Hei Tiki
- Hei Tiki Use & Meaning
- Common Visual Characteristics & Types of Hei Tiki
- Hei Tiki Colours
- From Pounamu to Plastic
- Cultural Resurgence
Strictly speaking, tikis are large humanoid figures carved in wood or stone and were used to guard the entrances to places considered tapu (sacred) or to protect sites. On Easter Island, for example, over 200 monolithic humanoid statues known collectively as Mo'ai were discovered in 1722 CE by the Dutch explorer Jacob Roggeveen (1659-1729 CE). Thes...
The German ethnologist Karl von den Steinen (1855-1929 CE) gave his opinion on the artistic merit of the hei tikiwhen he said the Maori adornment was "perhaps the ugliest object the artistic genius of a people ever created by years of labour" (quoted in Skinner, 309). The squat, humanoid appearance of the hei tiki with its enlarged head (about one-...
Robley, in 1915 CE, noted two types of hei tiki. The first type is known as Robley Type A with the tiki head resting on the shoulders, and with both hands positioned on the thighs. Type B is rarer with the tiki head raised, showing a defined neck cut free of the shoulders, and with one hand raised to the chest or mouth and the other remaining on th...
New Zealand pounamu has a wonderful translucent quality with different colour combinations. When pounamu is heat-treated, the hardness of the material is strengthened, and when the surface is ground, a pearly white, grey-green colour with a silver sheen is revealed. This colour is known as the inanga variety and was prized by Maori, along with kawa...
Toward the end of the late 19th century CE, hei tiki had become part of mainstream culture with many pakeha settlers (New Zealanders of European origin) wearing them as personal adornments and manufacturing hei tiki. The notion of the mana of the whanau (family) residing in the hei tiki and being a connection to revered ancestors (and a cultural ob...
By the 1970s CE, fascination with hei tiki as pop culture, lucky charms, and sporting mascots had given way to serious attention being paid to contemporary expressions of hei tiki as a Maori art form, with young Maori hei tiki carvers like Rangi Kipa (b. 1996 CE) using Corian (manufactured by DuPont) as a bridge between Maori and pakeha understandi...
- Kim Martins
Apr 13, 2024 · The Hei Tiki holds deep cultural significance and is considered a symbol of protection, fertility, and connection to one’s ancestors. Its history dates back centuries, and it continues to be a prominent feature in Māori art and culture.
Hei tiki refers to a traditional Māori pendant that is often carved in the shape of a human figure, typically with exaggerated facial features and stylized body proportions. These pendants hold deep cultural significance, often representing ancestral connections, personal identity, and spiritual beliefs within Māori culture.
The Hei Tiki represents the human form and one's ancestors. It links the past, present and future. Some believe Tiki was the first man in Māori legend, created by the Atua Tāne (God of the forest). Others consider Tiki to be the Atua himself and the forefather of humankind.
Jul 20, 2022 · Reweti shares a similar story about a 1937 photograph of her grandmother in which she wears Te Rauna, a hei tiki given to her by Rose’s great aunt. Her grandmother handed the pendant down to Reweti, who wears Te Rauna today and shares her with young museum visitors.
