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A 19th century pounamu hei tiki, with head tilted to the right,…
Lot No.
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Description:
A 19th century pounamu hei tiki, with head tilted to the right, wide open red eyes, flared nostrils, heart-shaped mouth with tongue out and hands clasped to thighs. Suspension hole above the right eye. 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. Traditionally worn around the neck by high-rank 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 could be used as a political gift to end conflict and ensure peace between the different iwi. Pending Y registration, length 11.5 cm, width 8.5 cm
Estimate:
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Price:
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Category:
Unclassified