Pendant
| Native Name | Hei Tiki |
|---|---|
| Object Number: | 29-180-5 |
| Current Location: | Collections Storage |
| Culture: | Maori |
| Provenience: | New Zealand |
| Section: | Oceanian |
| Materials: | Greenstone |
| Height: | 8 cm |
| Width: | 4 cm |
| Credit Line: | Bequest of Maxwell Sommerville, 1904 |
| Other Number: | 2621 - Sommerville Gem Number 29-128-2621 - Old Museum Number |
Description
Greenstone pendant. Hei tiki. Human figure with oversized head tilted to one side, arms akimbo, legs flexed, feet together.The inlay for the eyes is missing; see 29-180-3. The perforation is not visible in front; cf. 29-180-3. Part of the circumference of one eye is broken off.
Rounded head, chin on left shoulder, nose not well marked, breasts clearly marked with double raised lines, hands on thighs. Perforation has broken and a new one hs been made in the back of the head from top and bottom leaving a bar. Female sex shown.
Greenstone pendants ( hei tiki ) were, and are, treasured Maori ornaments. Their value derives from the hours of labor required to carve the hard material and from association with the ancestors through whose hands the carvings have passed, from generation to generation.
Bibliography:
| [Catalogue] Simmons, D. R. 1982. Catalogue of Maori Artefacts in the Museums of Canada and the United States of America.. Auckland. Bulletin of the Auckland Institute and Museum. Actual Citation : Page/Fig./Plate: Pl. 211 e (bottom) | View Objects related to this Actual Citation |
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