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Pendant (Hei-tiki)

1800s

The Cleveland Museum of Art

The Cleveland Museum of Art
Cleveland, United States

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.

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  • Title: Pendant (Hei-tiki)
  • Date Created: 1800s
  • Physical Dimensions: Overall: 11.2 x 5.5 cm (4 7/16 x 2 3/16 in.)
  • Type: Sculpture
  • Rights: CC0
  • External Link: https://clevelandart.org/art/1954.147
  • Medium: nephrite (greenstone)
  • Fun Fact: Hei-tiki may represent Hine-te-Iwaiwa, a legendary ancestress who is the exemplar of Māori womanhood.
  • Department: Oceania
  • Culture: Polynesia, New Zealand, Maori people, 19th century
  • Credit Line: John L. Severance Fund
  • Collection: Oceanic Art
  • Accession Number: 1954.147
The Cleveland Museum of Art

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