Pendant
| Native Name | Hei Tiki |
|---|---|
| Object Number: | 62-1-1 |
| Current Location: | Collections Storage |
| Culture: | Maori |
| Provenience: | New Zealand |
| Locus: | Maori |
| Date Made: | Early 19th century |
| Early Date: | 1800 |
| Late Date: | 1850 |
| Section: | Oceanian |
| Materials: | Greenstone Gum |
| Height: | 9.7 cm |
| Width: | 6.6 cm |
| Depth: | 0.9 cm |
| Credit Line: | Gift of Edward M. James, 1962 |
Description
Greenstone pendant. Hei tiki. Human figure with oversized head tilted to one side, arms akimbo, legs flexed, feet together. Very fine. Remains of gum in eyes. Back slightly rounded. Original piercing broken and new piercing made just below.
Greenstone pendants ( hei tiki ) were, and are, treasured Maori ornaments. Their value derives from the hours of labor required to carve the hard material and from association with the ancestors through whose hands the carvings have passed, from generation to generation.
Bibliography:
| [Catalogue] Simmons, D. R. 1982. Catalogue of Maori Artefacts in the Museums of Canada and the United States of America.. Auckland. Bulletin of the Auckland Institute and Museum. Actual Citation : Page/Fig./Plate: Pl. 211 | View Objects related to this Actual Citation |
| [Catalogue] Wardwell, Allen. 1967. The Sculpture of Polynesia.. The Art Institute of Chicago. Actual Citation : Page/Fig./Plate: p. 97, No. 146 | View Objects related to this Actual Citation |
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