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Carnegie Museum of Natural History

One of the Four Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh

anthropology

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Hei-tiki Figurines

By Deborah Harding

Hei-tiki figurines made by the Maori people of New Zealand have had several origins and meanings attributed to them over the years. It may refer to the First Man, Tiki; some have speculated that the curious proportions are those of an unborn child.

Tikis are carved in stone and wood, in various sizes. The hei-tikis are designed to be worn around the neck. Originally carved very laboriously from hard greenstone, modern versions are also made in plastic and other materials for the tourist trade. The eye rings were often filled with red sealing wax.

Hei-tiki figurine

Our hei-tiki came to us from the collection of Charles Spang, a manufacturer from Etna. He collected it probably in the mid-19thcentury, and his collection was later donated by his children in 1906. Unfortunately, the arms and legs are broken off.

About ten years ago, a Maori visitor to the collections remarked with surprise on the presence of the braided neck cord. Evidently it is rare to find the cord still intact. He couldn’t tell us what the fiber was, but it’s done in a 16-strand round braid.

Deborah Harding is the collection manager of the Section of Anthropology at Carnegie Museum of Natural History. Museum employees are encouraged to blog about their unique experiences and knowledge gained from working at the museum.

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Carnegie Museum of Natural History’s Section of Anthropology

ceramic artifact from Costa Rica

Carnegie Museum of Natural History’s Section of Anthropology has the finest collection of archaeological material from Costa Rica outside of that country.

It is also the first collection that was scientifically excavated by curator Carl V. Hartman, between 1903 and 1908.

It includes carved stone benches and statuary, small jade pendants and beads, and a great variety of ceramics, including effigy whistles.

One pendant, a jade bat, is considered the finest piece of jade ever found in Costa Rica. It is due to be loaned to the Getty Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art later this year.

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Costa Rican Pottery Bird Adorno

bird made of clay from Costa Rica

by Deb Harding

The people of ancient Costa Rica put a lot of bird and animal imagery in their pottery, both painted and in the form of three-dimensional figures. This little bird dates from about 300-800 AD and sat on the shoulder of a large jar from the Guanacaste Peninsula in northwestern Costa Rica.

Deb Harding is a collection manager in Carnegie Museum of Natural History’s Section of Anthropology. She frequently blogs and shares pieces of the museum’s hidden anthropology collection, which is home to over 100,000 ethnological and historical specimens and 1.5 million archaeological artifacts.

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Costa Rican Archaeological Bowl

decorative clay bowl from Costa Rica

by Deb Harding

In the process of photographing all the archaeological pottery in Carnegie Museum of Natural History’s collection, this bowl caught my eye. It was purchased as part of a huge collection from an estate owner in the Central Valley of Costa Rica around 1903 while Carnegie Museum curator Carl V. Hartman was doing the first scientific archaeological excavations in Costa Rica. Unfortunately, we do not have any information about the particular site or time period. This is the best example from a whole series of bowls that look like the pigs from Angry Birds™.

Deb Harding is a collection manager in Carnegie Museum of Natural History’s Section of Anthropology. She frequently blogs and shares pieces of the museum’s hidden anthropology collection, which is home to over 100,000 ethnological and historical specimens and 1.5 million archaeological artifacts.

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Carved Wooden Gope Board

Carved wooden board from Morigio Island depicting a human-like figure

Gope boards are carved wooden tablets made by groups in the Gulf of Papua. They represent ancestral spirits who protect members of the clan from bad luck, sickness, and death. This particular board from the museum’s hidden collection is from Morigio Island. The photographic scale in the image is about 8 inches long. It was photographed in the diagonal in order to best show the board’s details.

Deb Harding is a collection manager in Carnegie Museum of Natural History’s Section of Anthropology. She frequently blogs and shares pieces of the museum’s hidden anthropology collection, which is home to over 100,000 ethnological and historical specimens and 1.5 million archaeological artifacts.