A Maori nephrite pendant, New Zealand

Possibly acquired by William Spencer Cavendish, 6th Duke of Devonshire

Nephrite, or pounamu, was greatly prized by the Maori, who considered it to have mystical qualities. Whilst all objects made of pounamu were valued hei tiki pendant were particularly treasured heirlooms which were passed down within families from generation to generation. These taonga, or treasures, gained spiritual power (mana).

Interpretations of the form of these recognizable if enigmatic Maori objects are varied and inconclusive.

Pounamu is harder than iron and working with a bow drill and sandstone saws and files a tohunga, or master-carver, would take several months to complete a single hei tiki. The carver did not set out to create a work of art, for he was simply the means by which the gods expressed themselves in material form. The act of creation was tapu (sacred).

The early history of the hei tiki remains a mystery, however it may be one of the objects that the 6^th Duke introduced into his 'museum' in the first State Room at Chatsworth. Amongst the items recorded in the Chatsworth Inventory of 1844 is a 'Chinese Marble Carving' (page 104) which might be a mis-interpretation of this pendant. Whilst New Zealand had been known to the British since the voyages of Captain Cook in the late 18^th century, Britain's relationship with the islands was only formalised in 1840 through the treaty of Waitangi. After this date many more Maori objects appeared in English collections.