Matautahi

by Mana Hokianga
Te Ati Awa (Poneke), Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Ruapani

65 × 38mm

Paraoa

The Hei Matau, a fish hook-shaped pendant, has many meanings and is steeped in Māori culture and history. The Hei Matau’s meaning comes from the Māori legend of Maui, who used a hook made from his grandmother’s jawbone to catch a giant fish that was once the North Island of New Zealand. It is said that the original jawbone is still lodged in the fish, which Māori people refer to as “Te Matau-a-Māui – The hook of Māui” current day Hawke’s Bay. Wearing a Hei Matau over water is said to show respect to Tangaroa for the bounty he created, nurtured and gifted. It symbolizes the Māori people’s strong relationship with the ocean and Tangaroa, the god of the sea.