Te Hei Tiki: An enduring treasure in a cultural continuum - Dougal Austin (2019)
This book is an expert guide to the history and enduring cultural role of hei tiki, the human-figure pendants that are such an iconic, beloved and highly prized Māori artform. Te Hei Tiki features stunning photographs of these taonga, many published here for the first time.
Publication details
D. Austin. Wellington: Te Papa Press, 2019.
About the book
Of all Māori personal adornments, the human figure pendants known as hei tiki are the most famous, highly prized and culturally iconic. This book celebrates the long history of hei tiki and the enduring cultural potency of these taonga. Te Hei Tiki showcases stunning photographs of a large selection of hei tiki, most from the taonga Māori collections of the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa and provides fascinating details of the history and culture behind them.
Further information
This book is part of the series marking the publication of Books of Mana (Otago University Press, 2025). It builds on the project Te Takarangi: Celebrating Māori publications and adds 30 titles to a selected list of 150 non-fiction books, led by Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga in collaboration with Royal Society Te Apārangi.