Bone Hei Matau
bone fish hook pendants

Most hei matau are made from bone. Traditionally these were carved from whale bone and were used for fishing and worn as jewelry. The latter were family heirlooms passed from generation to generation. Nowadays the main function of the hooks is an ornamental one and they are generally made of cattle bone. They are mostly worn as necklace pendants.

Taonga Necklaces
tale telling carvings

Each carving design has specific meanings or stories behind it. Before Western settlers came to New Zealand the Maori had no written language. Therefore, divine tales and tribal history were passed on utilizing numerous forms of fine artistic creations. Examples of these fine arts were complex wood, jade, bone, and shell carvings.

These artifacts were then passed on by generation upon generation of tribal elders and became sanctified objects. These treasures "Taonga" tell the history of a tribe and are thought to adopt the spirits of past great leaders and warriors who had worn them. Upon today it is believed that a pendant such as the hei matau, which is worn with respect or given and received with love, takes on part of the spirit of the wearer.