item details
NamePekapeka (pendant)
ProductionUnknown; carver; 1650-1850; New Zealand
Classificationpendants
Materialspounamu
Materials SummaryManufactured by hand using stone, sandstone, and water.
Techniqueslapidary
DimensionsOverall: 6mm (width), 35mm (height), 55mm (length), 16g (weight)
Registration NumberOL000043/.S
Credit lineOldman Collection. Gift of the New Zealand Government, 1992
Overview
Pekapeka are pendants usually worn around the neck, though occasionally suspended from the ear. This example is made from pounamu (New Zealand greenstone).
Bat-like
Pekapeka are named after the small native New Zealand bat (Chalinolobus morio), which they might be said to resemble in appearance. The pekapeka form fuses together two opposing manaia (stylised beaked figures) heads into a single form.
A rare form
Like their reclusive native namesakes, pekapeka pendants are rare relative to hei tiki (neck pendants), which exist in museum collections in large numbers.