Pendant (Hei-tiki), 1800s. Polynesia, New Zealand, Maori people, 19th century. Nephrite (greenstone); overall: x cm (4 7/16 x 2 3/16 in.). Among the M?ori, 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 M?ori womanhood and the patron of childbirth.

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Size: 2708px × 3400px
Photo credit: © CMA/BOT / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

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