Overview
Pounamu was often found as boulders or large slabs, which Māori sawed into workable-sized pieces. Stone tools were used to saw, rasp, and grind the pounamu into shape.
Here, you can see the stages involved in carving hei tiki (pendants in human form) – some from old toki pounamu (nephrite adze blades).
The two hei tiki on the far right are made from pounamu that has been heat treated at low temperatures. The heated pounamu is ground back to reveal a light-coloured inner stone with a silvery sheen. The black tiki is a rare example of pounamu that has not been reground following heating.
Watch Dante Bonica, an expert in stone tools, as he demonstates the shaping and polishing of pounamu.
Duration 5 minutes