Maori greenstone (pounamu) hei tiki, or human figure pendant, with paua shell eyes, from New Zealand/Aotearoa, The head of the female figure is tilted to the right with the hands resting on the thighs. Worn by both men and women, hei tiki are highly valued personal adornments and family heirlooms, passed down from generation to generation. Their meaning is unclear, but some believe they represent the first ancestor or are powerful symbols of fertility and birth.
hei tiki
nephrite
shell (animal material)
Pendant
"Teki of green stone from New Zealand Feb. 1924" (Black ink)
E47109 (handwritten)
E47,111 (handwritten)
Original to Phillips House (Salem, Mass.),
E47,109
FD055
Unknown
Pacific Island Group
2 (W) (inches)
Gift of the Stephen Phillips Memorial Charitable Trust for Historic Preservation
2006.44.1441
http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/aoa/n/nephrite_pendant_hei_tiki.aspx
New Zealand
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