maori hei tiki
Jewellery as aspects of personal adornment is evident in all cultures, including Maori and Pakeha. ... The Hei tiki is the most common and valued of all personal adornments belonging to Maori but it isn’t simply a piece of jewellery, there are a number of other aspects of the tiki which are involved in Maori myth and legend. There are many examples of Hei tiki displayed at Te Papa National Museum; one significant Hei tiki belonging to Chief Taiaroa positioned in a glass cabinet in the Mana Whenua exhibition along with cloaks, weaponry and greenstone pendants. It is documented that this Hei tiki belonged to Chief Te Matenga Taiaroa of Kai Tahu. ... When Taiaroa died the Hei tiki was passed to his son Hori Kerei Taiaroa, Hei tiki was worn by both men and women as it was passed from generation to generation (The Maori past and present pg205). ... When the Hei tiki is not being worn it is kept in a small carved treasure box called a Wakahuia (Pounamu Maori jade in New Zealand pg28) The Hei tiki is highly valued and a prized piece of Maori adornment. Hei tikis are normally passed down from generation to generation, becoming prized family Taonga tuku iho, heirlooms. Most Hei tiki are individually owned and named, although some have been said to be owned by tribes and worn by chiefs of these tribes. If a Hei tiki is worn by a family member who then dies it is passed on to their next of kin and is to remain in the Wahnu carrying with it the mana of each person to whom it has been worn by (Jade of the Maori pg 58). ... Hei tiki is normally worn on special occasions including weddings, tangi and to important meetings. Although many Hei tiki are passed on as Taonga Tuku iho, some were given as gifts or to seal an exchange or bond made between tribes. “They have been used to create peace, marriage arrangements or as a gesture of great manaakitanga” (hospitality) (The Maori Past and Present pg 205). Like my Grandmothers cameo bracelet Hei tikis were sometimes worn in remembrance of a deceased family member. ... Unlike some Hei tiki which were buried with their owner until their bones were finally removed for re-burial, when it was then passed on to their next of kin my Grandmothers jewellery was given out the day after her burial.