Overview
Hei tiki (pendants in human form) are the best-known Māori adornment. They are often heirlooms that embody the wearer’s lineage.
What these carved treasures represent remains uncertain. On a basic level, ‘hei’ means neck pendant, and ‘tiki’ refers to the human form. Some people make a connection with Tiki, the first man, though many tiki are female. Others suggest that the tiki represents Hine-i-te-iwaiwa (the early ancestor associated with fertility) or the unborn child.
In the late 1700s, British explorer James Cook saw mostly men wearing tiki, but accounts from the late 1800s report tiki being worn mainly by women, particularly during pregnancy and childbirth.