Superfine Kahurangi Pounamu Hei Tiki

A superfine Kahurangi pounamu hei tiki, meticulously carved with head tilted to the left, wide open paua inlaid eyes, flared nostrils, heart-shaped mouth with tongue out and hands clasped to thighs. Suspension hole with lanyard above the left eye. Deep dark-green colour. Hei tiki were and still are one of the most appreciated and emblematic traditional adornments in Aotearoa, considered as a taonga (treasure). Carving pounamu into hei tiki demands a high-level of skill and requires dexterity and patience due to its hardness. It was traditionally worn around the neck by high-ranking men, women and children to signal their origin and status. Able to be passed from generation to generation thanks to the sturdiness and durability of the stone, the heirloom would gradually become more powerful and valuable, accumulating the mana (prestige) of each owner as well as accruing its tapu, sacred extent. According to some beliefs, offering a hei tiki to a woman would also help her to give birth to an heir, the figure representing Hine-te-iwaiwa, a celebrated ancestress associated with fertility. In other contexts, it would be used as a political gift to end conflict and ensure peace between the different iwi. National registration is not required for this lot, length 8.5 cm, width 5.5 cm