Hei Tiki | Maori Tiki Necklace Pendants

Hei - to suspend or wear from the neck
Tiki - The first man in Maori mythology.

Tiki also refers to large stone and wood human shaped carvings in a majority of the Polynesian cultures in the Pacific Ocean.

The carrier of a hei tiki is said to be a thinker, a loyal and a well informed person. His or her strength lays in his or her character. But above all, the hei tiki is a reference to ancestors.
Picture: Maori.info Maori man wearing a pounamu (greenstone) hei tiki.

Traditionally it is believed by wearers of the (hei) tiki that it holds the power and spiritual presence (mana) of the previous owners.

Carvings worn many generations by tribal members or family are thought to contain the spirits of all those people which makes them such valuable treasures.

Picture: Drawing of a Hei-tiki neck pendant, Maori, New Zealand, 19th century.
Source: Wikimedia Commons

This unique Hei-tiki is hand carved by Waimarino Brown. Only one is available for US$195. Click here for more info and buying.

Hei Tiki are human-like figures commonly representing ancestors/ gods. Something about the non-realistic appearance of the tiki:

"In Polynesia, most of the human figures were carved to form symbols of their gods, who, with few exceptions, were deified ancestors. Thus it may be that the early craftsmen, while accepting the human form as a motif, purposely refrained from making the images too human in detail." source: The Coming of the Maori by Peter H. Buck (Te Rangi Hiroa) (digitized version of the book)

Tiki necklaces are based on the historical figure Tiki. The exact meaning of the concept Tiki is much disputed. Most commonly are the thoughts that Tiki was an entity who came from the stars and was the first (male) human to set foot on the earth.

Many Tiki carvings have webbed feet, suggesting a direct link with nautical beings. The wearer of a hei-tiki pendant necklace is said to possess great wisdom, inner strength and balance and a clear mind. These attributions are derived from the fact that the mythological Tiki was "the teacher of all worldly things".

Hei Tiki are pendants originally found in the traditional Maori culture. According to the first Polynesian inhabitants of New Zealand, the carrier of the Hei Tiki was thought to enforce happiness, fertility, clear thinking, open communication and power over himself.

Often made of a type of jade called nephrite (pounamu), hei tiki were very difficult to carve using primitive grinding tools of the Maori. A high degree of perseverance and thoroughness was needed.

Pounamu is valued highly by the Maori for its beauty, toughness and great hardness. This type of green stone is used not only for jewelry such as hei tiki and ear pendants, but also for carving tools and weapons.

Pounamu is found mainly on New Zealand's South Island. Pounamu is the Maori word for greenstone. The Maori name for the South Island, Te Wai Pounamu, also refers to this stone.

Master carver Ewan Parker has created these unique traditional and highly detailed Tiki pendants. Parker works together with another truly great artist; Wayne Turnbull. They share a studio on the East Coast of New Zealand's North Island.

Parker and Turnbull:
" the stone will suggest the most appropriate carving hidden within so every piece is unique and perfectly matched to the sacred Pounamu from which it was born."

Click the photo for more designs of these great artists, extended information and prices.

A few examples of hand carved bone Tiki pendants with eyes made of paua shell inlay. Click the photo for more info, prices and more Maori designs.


Fast airmail shipping worldwide is now just US$6.95 for up to 5 pendants.

Some Polynesian myths refer to Tiki as the first man on earth. (The first mortal born to the Gods) According to the Maori mythology, the god Tumatauenga (Thane) created Tiki. One day Tiki saw a woman swimming in a lake and was overcome by her beauty. The woman seduced Tiki and the two eventually married.

Other variations depict Tiki as the first man who came from the stars and is in possession of eternal knowledge.

In another legend, Tiki saw his own reflection in a pool of water. Tiki mistakenly thought this was an encounter with another person so he took a dive into the water in order to meet the other. Of course this caused the image to vanish.

Another time when Tiki saw his reflection in a pool again he covered the water with mud so the image could not escape. This dirt developed into a woman. One day when the woman was bathing, an eel entered the water and the woman experienced a feeling of desire. She then seduced Tiki and the first procreating act was a fact.

(Note how this legend has a strong resemblance with the legend of Adam and Eve. Adam creating Eve from his rib and Tiki creating the first woman from his reflection).

Another variation states that the god Tane used the soil from the mythical homeland Hawaiki to create the first human being (Tiki).

And yet another rendition of the legend states that Tiki himself, as a son of the gods Rangi and Papa, creates the first human by mixing his own blood with clay, and Tane then makes the first woman. More about different Tiki legends on Wapedia

This bone tiki necklace has been stained with manuka wood smoke for extra bone texture enhancement. For more info on prices and ordering visit Shop New Zealand

Tiki represents the first mortal born to the Gods. The Tiki is a good luck charm, and believed to give the wearer clarity of thought and great inner knowledge.

The tiki is also a strong fertility symbol. The hands on the loins symbolize fertility. Apart from that it is a good luck charm meant to keep evil spirits away. Some traditions refer to Tiki as the goddess of childbirth. Others state that; " Tiki is strongly associated with the origin of the procreative act".

According to the website of The Encyclopedia of New Zealand:

"There are instances where previously infertile women have given birth after being gifted a hei tiki."

In earlier times, Maori women used to wear a phallus-shaped charm round their necks, called tiki, to protect them against infertility.

Tiki Rimu Wood Pendant

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Our Price:NZ$19.95

Hei Tiki neck ornaments commonly resembled a human-like being with crossed legs, a to one side tilted head with round eyes and a wide mouth, its hands clasped over its belly, and in most cases, with female genitals.

Typical hei tiki pendants were characterized by a forked tongue, a relatively big mouth shaped like a flattened heart, the iris of the eye existed of a ring of paua shell and, which is typical for Maori carvings, had three fingers to each hand and three toes to each foot.

The names that the Europeans colonizing a fertility symbol. However, according to Maori legend himself Hei Tiki is the first man in the Maori world, from the stars and in possession of comprehensive knowledge. A hei tiki is believed to give the wearer clarity of thought and great inner knowledge.

Some experts believe hei tiki were worn by both men and women. Others, however believed only women wore the ornamental necklaces except for some rare circumstances. Though, early European visitors saw men as well as women wearing them.

Researchers do agree the use of personal adornments like the hei-tiki was sometimes aesthetic, sometimes symbolic and sometimes both. Different roles Hei Tiki performed:

"For Maori needing to mourn the death of a relative lost in battle whose body cannot be recovered, his hei-tiki could be used as a surrogate through the funeral ceremonies." Niech and Pereira (2004)

Hamilton (1998, p. 305) quotes Yate, whose view was that the Hei Tiki acted as a point of reference to remember those who have just departed, including "others by whom it was worn."

Tiki Bone & Paua Shell Pendant

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Price:NZ$29.95

Tiki Jade Greenstone Pendant

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Price:NZ$30.00

Natural Paua Shell and Resin Tiki Pendant

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Price:NZ$30.95

Horatio Gordon Robley (28 June 1840 - 29 October 1930) was an artist, soldier and collector of Mokomokai (tattooed preserved heads) and other antiquities.

When living in London at the end of his life, Robley still maintained a lively correspondence with his friends in New Zealand. He also wrote the newspaper article titled: "A History of the Maori Tiki" which was printed in two parts in the Kaitaia Northlander on 25 November and 2 December, 1925.

According to Robley, hei tiki has two main symbolic meanings. They function either as memorials to ancestors, or represent the goddess of childbirth, Hineteiwaiwa.

Courtesy photo: digitalus.co.nz

Tiki pendant necklaces were traditionally worn by Maori people to ward off club feet, which was a frequent occurring ailment in the time before the European settlers set foot on New Zealand.

photo by Kahuroa | Wikimedia Commons.

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Carved Wooden Tiki

Carved Wooden Tiki with Paua shell eyes.The hei tiki is often incorrectly referred to as tiki. Tikis are the large human-like figures carved in wood. Commonly guarding the entrance to a Maori building or in smaller sizes as ornaments of canoes., The were used to mark sacred (tapu) places.

The origin of heitiki is not exactly clear. Some sources say the first was made for Hina-te-iwaiwa, the Maori Moon Goddess and patroness of women.

It is regarded as sacred, and the most widely held theory claims that it represents the human embryo, especially those of still-born children. These are considered to be particularly powerful spirits, owing to their having been cheated of life.

Another version suggests that the hei tiki is connected with Tiki, the Maori god who was responsible for the creation of life or who was the first life itself. The common denominator in all these theories is that the Tiki is a fertility symbol.

Traditionally Maori tiki pendants were carved representing the human form. According to Maori belief creating the perfect form was kept exclusively to the gods. That's why Maori artists felt it was inappropriate towards the gods to carve exact likenesses.

Sterling Silver and Paua Tiki Pendant

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Price:NZ$44.95

Large Sterling Silver Tiki Pendant

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Price:NZ$79.95

Only a few of this calendar are still available. This great wall calendar features carvings and bios from 10 of New Zealands top artists like; Kerry Thompson, Len Kay, Hepi Maxwell, Lilach Paul, Stanley Nathan, Kelvyn Anderson, Jackie Tump, Peter Bishop, Luke Gardiner & Ewan Parker