156: Unusual Tiki's

The tiki has a name familiar around the pacific but always refers to a stone statue not a neck ornament...except in NZ. So where did this design come from?

Although the Maori have occupied New Zealand since about 1280 AD, the historical origins of tiki are not understood as they are virtually absent from the archaeological record. For a precious item, this is not surprising because few would have been lost or discarded. Conventionally though they are associated with the later part of New Zealand's prehistory, as nephrite is uncommon in early sites.

The term tiki is applied to carved human figures generally, both by the Maori and by other polynesians. The name possibly has some connection with the myth of Tiki, the first man created by Tane. On the other hand tiki or tikitiki is also a general term for carving in many parts of polynesia, as, for instance, in Niue, where the Tiki myth is unknown and human figures were not carved. In New Zealand, however, tiki is usually applied to the human figure carved in greenstone as a neck ornament. The full name is hei-tiki. They were often made from broken pounamu adze blades

We've all seen some really nice examples but the ones that interest me are the unusual, archaic designs.

The first one that grabs me is from the Wairarapa and is quite small

The second one is actually from Melanesia therefore it is not from NZ and we are trying to ascertain its origin with the owner.

The third one was found at Kohika south of Tauranga. This one is only 2cm wide and is made of human bone. It also has a style unlike anything else ever found in NZ.

So why carve like this? There was nothing to copy or no one else had copied it afterward. We think we know the answer but we'll leave that for you to decide.

This last one is old, has been worn, and resembles nothing else in this country. Why?