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Carved Wooden Tiki with Paua shell eyes.
The heitiki 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. The heitiki's origins are obscure. It is believed that 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 heitiki is connected with Tiki, the Maori god who was responsible for the creation of life or who was the first life itself. In both explanations the heitiki is clearly a fertility symbol.
Your NEW ZEALAND SHOP for TIKI CARVING and other
NZ GIFTS
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