Product Overview
acrylic NZ souvenir key ring
FYI : The heitiki is a small, carved ornament, usually of greenstone, worn suspended from the neck. It is often incorrectly referred to as tiki. Tikis are, properly, the much larger human figures carved in wood guarding the entrance to a Maori pa and, also, the smaller wooden carvings used to mark a tapu place.
Some believe Tiki was the first man in Māori legend, created by the Atua Tāne (God of the forest). Others consider Tiki to be the Atua himself and the forefather of humankind. Whether man or God, there is consensus in Māori culture that humankind descends from Tiki lineage.
Wearing the Tiki -
Traditionally (way way back - even before my Aunty Tra was born) the Hei Tiki was worn by women especially during childbirth as it was supposed to protect the wearer from vengeful spirits of unborn or stillborn children.
Today, Hei Tiki is regarded as a protector of the wearer.
There are several variations to the origin and meaning of Hei Tiki but I take my meaning from my Aunty Tra ... mostly because I am more likely to get a clip around the ear and thus more scared of her than I am of well meaning historians and kaumatua.
