Hei tiki Pendant
Location
Culture
Maori
Title
Hei tiki Pendant
Date
18th c.
Materials
Nephrite, vegetable fibre, bone, mother-of-pearl inlays
Dimensions
30.6 x 7 x 2.6 cm
Credits
Purchase, gift of F. Cleveland Morgan, inv. 1955.Pc.6
Collection
Archeology and World Cultures
A hei tiki – literally, a human-shaped pendant – is a piece of jewellery worn by men and women of high rank on special occasions. There is no consensus as to the being depicted. The Maori attribute the power of fertility to such a pendant: women wear it to ensure childbirth goes smoothly, among other reasons. Its power increases through accumulating the spiritual force (mana) of its owners as it is passed on from generation to generation.
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