Description

Hei Tiki

Looking for a cool Maori wall decoration? Check out the ‘hei tiki’. Hei means ‘to wear around the neck’ and Tiki means ‘first man.

Contemporary Maori art, Maori design. These beautiful carvings are crafted from plantation grown gaboon using laser technology. This piece of art boasts super fine detail with colourful paua inlay. The carvings is mounted on an earth toned background inside a custom glass covered shadow box frame.

Each piece is individually signed by our Maori artist Mike Carlton and comes complete with wall mount and related story to back.

• Overall size: 126mm x 161mm x 26mm (4.96″ x 6.34″ x 1.02″)
• comes with wall mount and back stand
• description at the back of the frame

The origins of ‘Tiki’

The origins of ‘Tiki’ are uncertain but throughout Maoridom he is acknowledged as the first man and that he came from the stars. And he is sometimes depicted as an amphibious person with large fishloke eyes and webbed feet and considered the teacher of all things.

In some accounts of ancient Maori folklore ‘Tiki’ was the first man created by ‘Tane’ (God of the Forests and Men).  ‘Tiki’ formed woman from the earth after admiring his own reflection in the water.

Taonga

“Hei Tiki” were regarded as precious taonga (treasures) and were predominantly carved from pounamu (greenstone). It is thought that the diverse forms of “Tiki” were the result of the carver being constrained by the shape of his stone as it was extremely hard and difficult to shape with primitive grinding tools.

“Hei Tiki” had spiritual significance to Maori. They were passed down from generation to generation. It was believed that they acquired the importance and power (mana) of each of the passed tipuna (ancestors) to have worn it.

The colonising Europeans assumed the “Hei Tiki” worn as a pendant by Maori women was primarily a fertility symbol. They became sought after as a valuable trading commodity.

Source: Mike Calton – Maori artist

Or check out the small framed tiki from swamp kauri >>