Hei Tiki
The hei tiki is the carved greenstone pendant worn at the neck by the Maori, representing a human figure with the head tilted to one side, often with the tongue pointing from the mouth. It is made from pounamu, the nephrite jade of the South Island, and carved with stone drills and abrasive cords in the time before metal tools. The hei tiki is a taonga passed down within families, worn by men and women, and the older a pendant is, the more it is valued, for each one is believed to carry the presence and mana of the ancestors who wore it before. New pendants are given as gifts to mark births, w