Cultural icons and taonga tuku iho, the hei tiki that welcome visitors on entering Tāmaki Herenga Waka: Stories of Auckland can metaphorically be seen as a representation of the people of Auckland. They have each taken different journeys to reach Tāmaki from other shores. No two are the same. They vary in size, shape and hue. Some are pristine, others are flawed. Some have known histories, while the stories of others have been forgotten.3
There is a very well-known whakataukī (proverb) that refers to pounamu: Ahakoa he iti, he pounamu – although small, it is precious. Although hei tiki are small, their significance as taonga is huge.
Image: Hei tiki, pounamu. Auckland War Memorial Museum Tāmaki Paenga Hira. 1992.312, 54344.