A hei matau is a bone or greenstone carving in the shape of a highly stylised fish hook. They represent good luck and safe travel across water. [1]
A hei matau is a bone or greenstone carving in the shape of a highly stylised fish hook. They represent good luck and safe travel across water. [1]
The fish-hook shape of the hei matau means to know, which holds that the North Island of New Zealand was once a huge fish that was caught by the great mariner Māui using only a woven line and a hook made from the jawbone of his grandmother. [2] Legend holds that the shape of Hawkes Bay is that of the hei matau, which caught in the fish's side on the beach. The Māori name for the North island, Te Ika a Māui ("The fish of Māui") reflects this legend.
For the Māori, the hei matau is taonga (a cultural treasure). It represents not only their land, but also prosperity, fertility, and safe passage over water. They also denote the importance of fishing to Māori, and their relationship to Tangaroa god of the sea.
Traditionally, matau, or fishhooks, were carved from bone, ivory, shell, wood, or pounamu; composite hooks were also common. [3] [4] They came in several different forms. There are multiple apparently functional matau forms, but the functions of some are not known. [3] [5] Some were plain and utilitarian; others highly ornate. They were worn as pendants for safekeeping, and were often treasured family heirlooms.
Today, their main use is ornamental and they are commonly worn around the neck not only by Māori, but also by other New Zealanders who identify with the hei matau as a symbol of New Zealand. They are also popular items on the tourist market. Many modern pendants are not functional fish hooks.
In contemporary times, hei matau are commonly carved from cattle bone. Some Māori carvers continue to use whale bone, and such pieces are highly valued not only because of the beauty of whale bone and its cultural and historical significance, but also its scarcity. Current laws against hunting whales mean that Māori bone-carvers who carve in whale bone must use a combination of ancient standings or pre-existing supplies, or bones from whales that have recently beached. According to New Zealand tradition and law, Māori have first claim on part of the skeletons of any whales which strand and cannot be refloated. This is, however, a very limited supply.
Manufacturers in China mass-produce items resembling hei matau for sale on the New Zealand tourist market. These are usually made of a paste of bone and resin. Such manufacturers have attracted criticism for their appropriation of Māori designs.
The hei-tiki is an ornamental pendant of the Māori of New Zealand. Hei-tiki are usually made of pounamu (greenstone), and are considered a taonga (treasure) by Māori. They are commonly called tiki by New Zealanders, a term that originally refers to the first mortal.
Bowenite is a hard, compact variety of the serpentinite species antigorite, (Mg3(OH)O4Si2O5). Classed as semi-precious gemstone it has been used for tools, weapons and jewellery by the Māori in New Zealand, and for jewellery by Fabergé. Deposits are found in several places around the world including Afghanistan, China, New Zealand, South Africa and the United States. It typically ranges in colour from dark green to light olive green, and in shades approaching yellow. Bowenite was named by James D. Dana in 1850 after George T. Bowen, who analyzed it in 1822.
A heru is a traditional ornamental comb of the Māori of New Zealand. They were carved from a solid piece of either wood or whale bone or made from individual teeth lashed together. They were used by men to fasten their long hair up into topknots. The heru indicated the rank of the wearer.
A circle hook is a type of fish hook which is sharply curved back in a circular shape. It has become widely used among anglers in recent years because the hook generally catches more fish and is rarely swallowed. Since the circle hook catches the fish on the lips at the corner of its mouth, it usually decreases the mortality rates of released fish as compared to J-hook which are often swallowed by the fish, causing damage to the gills or vital organs. The circle hook's shape allows it to only hook onto an exposed surface, which in the case of a fish means the corner of its mouth. The fish takes the baited hook and swallows it, and as the hook is reeled in, it is safely pulled out of the fish until it reaches the mouth. At this point it will catch the corner of the mouth, resulting in fewer gut-hooked fish.
A patu is a club or pounder used by the Māori. The word patu in the Māori language means to strike, hit, beat, kill or subdue.
Theodorus Johannes Schoon was a Dutch-born New Zealand artist, photographer and carver.
Māori traditional textiles are the indigenous textiles of the Māori people of New Zealand. The organisation Te Roopu Raranga Whatu o Aotearoa, the national Māori weavers' collective, aims to preserve and foster the skills of making and using these materials.
Waka huia and Papa hou are treasure containers made by Māori – the indigenous people of New Zealand. Waka huia was also the name of a long-running TV series on TVNZ.
Clifford Hamilton Whiting was a New Zealand artist, teacher and advocate for Māori heritage.
Toi whakairo or just whakairo (carving) is a Māori traditional art of carving in wood, stone or bone.
The Manaia is a mythological creature in Māori culture, and is a common motif in Māori carving and jewellery.
Taonga pūoro are the traditional musical instruments of the Māori people of New Zealand.
Bone Stone Shell: New Jewellery New Zealand was a 1988 exhibition of contemporary New Zealand jewellery and carving which toured internationally. The exhibition is seen as capturing a moment when New Zealand jewelers started looked less at European traditions and precious materials and more at Pacific traditions and natural materials.
Lyonel Grant is a New Zealand Māori master carver and sculptor. Born in Rotorua, he affiliates to Ngāti Pikiao and Te Arawa. Grant identifies as Maori Indian.
Rangi Kipa is a New Zealand sculptor, carver, illustrator and tā moko artist.
Sopolemalama Filipe Tohi is a Tongan artist who has lived in New Zealand since 1978. He has exhibited in major exhibitions in New Zealand and abroad. Several major collections include his work. The 2010 Art and Asia Pacific Almanac describes him as "Tongan art's foremost ambassador".
Rongomaraeroa is the marae of the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa and incorporates a contemporary wharenuiTe Hono ki Hawaiki. It is located on the museum's 4th floor overlooking Wellington harbour, and was officially opened on 30 November 1997.
Paul Geoffrey Annear was a New Zealand contemporary jeweller.
Pounamu is a term for several types of hard and durable stone found in the South Island of New Zealand. They are highly valued in New Zealand, and carvings made from pounamu play an important role in Māori culture.
Hannah Eliza Jane Brenkley was a New Zealand artist and craftswoman. She created artworks through carving, needlework, and painting. Her work is in the permanent collections of the National Library of New Zealand, the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa and the Museum Theatre Gallery Hawke's Bay.
