The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of March 29, 2024

Pendant (Hei-tiki)

Pendant (Hei-tiki)

1800s
Location: not on view

Did You Know?

Hei-tiki may represent Hine-te-Iwaiwa, a legendary ancestress who is the exemplar of Māori womanhood.

Description

Among the Māori, leaders are hereditary and imbued with mana, power and prestige that can be embodied and passed down in the artworks associated with them. Hei-tiki are among these treasured, mana-charged heirlooms, which connect the living to ancestors of the islands’ pre-European past. They may represent Hine-te-Iwaiwa, a legendary ancestress who is the exemplar of Māori womanhood and the patron of childbirth.
  • Frost, Natasha. "He Calls the Tie a 'Colonia Noose.' Now Parliament Says It's No Longer Mandatory." The New York Times (February 10, 2021). www.nytimes.com
  • {{cite web|title=Pendant (Hei-tiki)|url=false|author=|year=1800s|access-date=29 March 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1954.147