From One Stone: A Whānau Set of Hei Toki

This set of six hei toki was carved for a mother and her five children (two of her own and three step children), connecting them with the kawakawa Pounamu hei toki I had previously carved for their husband and father. His toki was gifted for his 50th birthday and became a powerful source of strength for him. He wanted his wife and children to have taonga that carried this same connection.

I still had some of the original Pounamu from his toki, including pieces from near the outer edge of the boulder. This meant I could carve the entire whānau set from the same source and carry the natural, rugged character of his taonga into each of theirs.

I created three slightly wider toki for the boys and three narrower toki for the girls and their mother. Each taonga has its own colouring and character. Some contain the deep green kawakawa heart of the stone, while others carry the lighter inanga colouring found closer to its outer edge.

The front of each toki has been shaped and polished, bringing out the colour and depth within the Pounamu. The back has been left rough and natural, preserving part of the original surface of the boulder. No two pieces are identical, but the shared stone and consistent form make their relationship clear. Each is finished with a black cord.

Pounamu is traditionally valued as a taonga that carries mana, connection and strength through generations. When several taonga are carved from one piece of stone, that connection becomes physical. Even when members of the whānau are living apart or following different paths, their taonga remain part of the same whole.

The toki represents strength, courage, determination and leadership. It suits this whānau because it recognises the individual strength of every person while also acknowledging the strength they draw from one another. The polished and natural surfaces sit together as a reminder that strength includes every part of a person—the refined, the developing and the experiences that have shaped them.

This was a meaningful set to carve because it extended the kaupapa of the father’s original toki across his whole whānau. Seven separate taonga now come from the same Pounamu, each unique but permanently connected through the stone from which it was formed.