The hei-tiki

Pounamu, 1915

In Pounamu, a book published in 1915, Robley links the hei-tiki with ancestors, or with Hineteiwaiwa, a goddess of childbirth.

To verify: Robley’s own words, from Pounamu (1915)

For a hoped-for child

Robley also records that a hei-tiki was sometimes given to a woman who hoped to conceive. This is one writer’s account from 1915; we would want to hear it from Māori makers too.

To verify: A Māori source on how hei-tiki are given and worn

A taonga, not ours to copy

The hei-tiki is a taonga. Raw pounamu belongs to Ngāi Tahu under a 1997 Act, and we will not copy the hei-tiki in our workshop in China: any we show will come from named Māori makers. A wish for a child is a tender one, and we make no promise about it.