Hei tiki (pendant in human form)

This well-formed female hei tiki has her head inclined toward the left shoulder, notched pāua (large New Zealand abalone with blue-green inner shell) shell inlay eyes set in red sealing wax, and hands resting on thighs. The brow, nose, chest, and limbs are finely delineated.

Theories of origin
Various forms of tiki are common throughout western and eastern Polynesia, and the form can be found in the wood carving of different Pacific island groups. However, the meaning of the Māori hei tiki pendant is obscure. One theory is that hei tiki represent Hine-te-iwaiwa, a celebrated ancestress associated with fertility and the virtuous qualities of Māori womanhood. Another theory is that hei tiki represent Tiki, the mythical first human. A further suggestion is that they represent the unborn embryo, particularly children that are stillborn.

An iconic symbol
Hei tiki have become iconic emblems of both the Māori people and New Zealand. In the 1960s and 1970s, green plastic hei tiki were routinely distributed to passengers flying on New Zealand's national airline, and one of the enduring photographic moments recording the Beatles 1964 visit to New Zealand depicts the 'fab-four' wearing giant tiki around their necks.