Hei Matau

Shadows of the past

Māori artist Areta Wilkinson sees her contemporary jewellery as part of her Ngāi Tahu tribe’s whakapapa (genealogy), including its history of adornment. When she created this silver hei matau (fish hook), she was inspired by the shadows cast by Ngāi Tahu taonga (customary treasures) similar to the carved pendant in the next image.

In a Māori worldview, taonga tuku iho (prized heirlooms) carry stories and messages from one generation to the next. Wilkinson's examination of early South Island cultural material and principles provoked a shift in her practice. Looking into the shadows of taonga prompted her to create unique, contemporary forms that maintained a relationship to the ancestral treasures that inspired them.