Hei tiki are the best known of all Māori adornments. Tiki are symbols of fertility that depict a new-born child. They are often family heirlooms bearing personal names and embodying their wearers lineage. As with most Māori personal adornments, hei tiki are often passed down generationally.
Carved in varying shapes and sizes but stylising the human form. The manaia is predominently used as a design element to embelish larger carvings. There are many different interpretations about this form in Māori tradition, some believe the manaia is a half profile representation while others believe it is a representation of a seahorse - also called 'manaia' in Māori language.