In January New Zealand Post released details of its first coin issues for 2010: a 1-ounce .999 fine silver proof dollar and a 1-ounce .999 fine gold $10. The reverse of both coins displays a greenstone heitiki, a traditional ornamental neck pendant of the New Zealand Maori.
The precise origins of heitiki are lost in the mists of time. One view holds them to be memorials to ancestors; another, a representation of Hineteiwaiwa, goddess of childbirth. In the latter connection they were sometimes given to a woman by her husband’s family while she was trying to conceive.
The most valuable heitiki are carved from tough, hard greenstone called pounamu, found in New Zealand’s South Island. One of the glories of pounamu is that over time it absorbs a wearer’s body oils and, hence, their essence. Each tiki is extremely personal and must always be given, never fashioned for oneself.
Creating any heitiki by traditional methods, particularly from pounamu, was a long and demanding process. The carver would carry the stone with him and work on it whenever the opportunity arose, abrading it with rocks and smoothing the emerging design with wood and water.
A traditional pounamu heitiki, carved by contemporary Maori artist, Raponi, has been used as the basis of the coins’ reverse design worked by Warren McGrath, Tohunga Whakairo or master carver to the Maori King. On the dollar coin, the tiki is shown in full color.
Both coins are 40 mm in diameter. Both were struck at BH Mayer’s Kunstprageanstalt GmbH. The gold $10 has a mintage of 500 and the silver $14,000.
Each proof comes in a waka huia or treasure box, also designed by Warren McGrath. Such waka huia were used by Maori to hold highly prized personal items such as feathers of the New Zealand huia shown on either side of the heitiki on the coin design.
The precise origins of heitiki are lost in the mists of time. One view holds them to be memorials to ancestors; another, a representation of Hineteiwaiwa, goddess of childbirth. In the latter connection they were sometimes given to a woman by her husband’s family while she was trying to conceive.
The most valuable heitiki are carved from tough, hard greenstone called pounamu, found in New Zealand’s South Island. One of the glories of pounamu is that over time it absorbs a wearer’s body oils and, hence, their essence. Each tiki is extremely personal and must always be given, never fashioned for oneself.
Creating any heitiki by traditional methods, particularly from pounamu, was a long and demanding process. The carver would carry the stone with him and work on it whenever the opportunity arose, abrading it with rocks and smoothing the emerging design with wood and water.
A traditional pounamu heitiki, carved by contemporary Maori artist, Raponi, has been used as the basis of the coins’ reverse design worked by Warren McGrath, Tohunga Whakairo or master carver to the Maori King. On the dollar coin, the tiki is shown in full color.
Both coins are 40 mm in diameter. Both were struck at BH Mayer’s Kunstprageanstalt GmbH. The gold $10 has a mintage of 500 and the silver $14,000.
Each proof comes in a waka huia or treasure box, also designed by Warren McGrath. Such waka huia were used by Maori to hold highly prized personal items such as feathers of the New Zealand huia shown on either side of the heitiki on the coin design.
Source: numismaster.com
