Maori arts
In the past, all Maori arts were considered ‘taonga’ (sacred heritage, treasures), and many people still consider them sacred today.
Men and women usually made different types of art. Women were weavers
and men were woodcarvers, stoneworkers and tattoo artists. In the past,
the objects they made were given as gifts, exchanged and traded over long
distances in both North and South Island.
Greenstone pendants ‘hei tiki’
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“He toi whakairo
He mana tangata”
(“Where there is artistic excellence
There is human dignity”)
Maori saying.
‘Hei tiki’ are considered to be ‘taonga’
but were also some of the first artefacts Maori made specifically for
trade with Europeans, then later for sale. They are neck pendants. In
the past Maori men and women usually wore other types of greenstone pendant
in the ear, but these days they tend to wear any combination.
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