The hei tiki is one of the most recognised pounamu designs, symbolising life, ancestry, and knowledge. Carved from stone found in Aotearoa, it is treasured in Māori culture and admired around the world. Each tiki carries its own individuality, yet all connect to the same deep traditions.
In Māori legend, some say Tiki was the first man, created by Tāne, the atua (God) of the forest. Others believe Tiki is an atua himself and the forefather of humankind. Whether man or God, Māori stories hold that humankind descends from Tiki lineage. The word itself reflects this: hei means something worn around the neck, while tiki refers to carved images of the human form in stone, wood, or bone.
Traditionally, Hei Tiki are passed down through generations, worn for protection and as symbols of prestige. With each wearer, their mana grows as stories and connections are added. The form of the hei tiki often blends both wāhine (female) and tāne (male) qualities, representing the balance of life’s energies. Its head is typically tilted to the side, seen by many as symbolising a newborn child. Some interpret the tilt to the left as wāhine and to the right as tāne, while others reverse this understanding—reflecting the harmonious interplay of dualities that the tiki embodies.
One legend tells of Ngahue (the ancestor like God) fleeing from tropical Hawaiki (traditional Māori place of origin) with his coveted pounamu fish Poutini. They were chased away by Hine-tū-a-hōanga and her abrasive cutting stone Whaiapu. They arrived in Tuhua (Mayor Island) in the Bay of Plenty, but sensing their foe close by, they continued to the beautiful Arahura River in Te Waipounamu - New Zealand's South Island. Here Ngaue deposits Poutini into the river as an eternal resting place for his precious stone. Ngahue then returned to Hawaiki with a portion of pounamu taken from the side of the fish and worked upon the stone to fashion the first Hei Tiki adornment. With time, Hawaiki became a mythical origin for everything good and powerful in the Māori worldview. With the origin attributions of the Hei Tiki and pounamu to Hawaiki, it is understandable why they are highly regarded cultural treasures with deep meaning.
The Hei Tiki is deemed to be one of the highest achievements of early pounamu artistry and today's jade carvers take great care in protecting the culturally iconic figure in their work.
For different reasons, Hei Tiki have long been adorned by Māori. Some wear Hei Tiki to remember revered tūpuna (ancestors) who once possessed them. Others wear it as tohu rangatira (symbols of chiefly rank). Hine-te-iwaiwa, the deity of child birth and all womanly tasks, was the goddness credited with owning the first Hei Tiki. For this reason, women are also known to wear Hei Tiki as a talisman of fertility and easy childbirth. Many also believe that when worn Hei Tiki can act as a kaitiaki (guardian), protecting the wearer in times of peril.
