hei-tiki

See also: heitiki

English

Alternative forms

Etymology

Borrowed from Maori heitiki, from hei (“to tie around the neck; scarf, pendant”) + tiki (“carving of a human figure”).

Pronunciation

  • (New Zealand) IPA(key): /ˌhæeˈtiki/
  • (UK) IPA(key): /ˌheɪˈtɪki/

Noun

hei-tiki (usually uncountable, plural hei-tikis)

  1. (New Zealand) An ornamental pendant (typically made of pounamu or greenstone) among the Māori, worn around the neck, representing a human figure traditionally connected with Tiki, the first human in Maori mythology. [from 19th c.]
    • 2003, Michael King, The Penguin History of Aotearoa New Zealand, Penguin, published 2023, page 74:
      The ability to work stone and bone was also prized, for the production of essential tools such as adzes and fishhooks, and for the quality of ornaments such as pendants and hei tiki.
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