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Overview
This hei tiki (pendant) called Nga Pirau, or sometimes Te Pirau, is made from the inanga (pale milky) variety of pounamu (New Zealand greenstone) highly valued by Maori. The features, although not highly detailed, are well formed. The peaked head, which is inclined toward the right shoulder, is thought to represent sacred Mount Taranaki, suggesting that Nga Pirau may originally have been fashioned in the Taranaki region. Hei tiki are either female in gender, where sex is indicated, or asexual, where no particular gender is displayed. Nga Pirau is asexual.
Associations
Nga Pirau is a highly valued taonga (treasure) of the Ngati Toa tribe with a special association with the Ngati Te Ra hapu (sub-tribe), who are the descendants of the celebrated warrior chief Te Haunga. Ngati Te Ra take their name from Te Haunga's mother Te Ra-ka-huru. Te Haunga was a grandson of Toa Rangatira.
The well-known nineteenth-century Maori composer Rihi Puhiwahine makes reference to a hei-tiki named Nga Pirau in a composition commemorating a trip to visit her Ngati Toa and Ngati Raukawa relations at Kapiti (an island and coastal region north of Wellington). In it she states how it was worn by Te Rangi-Topeora, a sister of Te Rangihaeata and niece of Te Rauparaha (celebrated warrior chief of Ngati Toa).
Hāhunga
The name Nga Pirau is sometimes applied to hei tiki associated with hahunga, a practice where treasured family heirlooms are interred with the deceased to absorb the body's oils and essence during decomposition. After a period of time, the family gather the bones and heirlooms for a final farewell, after which the taonga are ceremonially cleansed and passed on to the descendants. This process can be repeated over several generations or more.