Losnummer: 81
The most valuable hei-tiki are carved from pounam, a green jadelike nephrite or bowenite . Pounamu is priced Māori for its beauty, toughness and great hardness; it is used not only for ornaments such as hei-tiki and ear pendants, but also for carving tools, adzes and weapons.
Although hei-tiki are perhaps one of the most recognizable forms of Māori body adornment, their meaning is not entirely known. Scholars have offered a number of theories, including that hei-tiki depict Hineteiwaiwa, an ancestress associated with fertility, or they represent Tiki, the first human. Another suggestion is that they portray unborn embryos or stillborn infants.
What makes this particular Hei-Tiki so unusual is the well defined face that is formed by the hollow spaces under the arms as eyes and the legs as a mouth, creating a second mask.
Provenienz
Donated to Dr. Aaron Bernstein in Morrinsville, New Zealand, circa 1919.
By inheritance to his grand daughter Mrs Helen Muir, United Kingdom.
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