Māori Designs: Iconic Forms, Names & Meanings

Note: Some meanings commonly attached to these forms today come from contemporary carving and jewelry rather than fixed ancient definitions.

Their significance can vary with the artist, wearer, material, and cultural context.

Many recognizable Māori design forms have been preserved through whakairo (carving) and personal adornment, particularly in pounamu, as well as bone and wood.

Their shapes may reference people, plants, animals, and traditional objects, while their significance depends on the maker, material, history, and cultural context.

The koru takes its curling shape from the young frond of an unfurling fern.

One of the most recognizable Māori forms, it is widely associated with new life, growth, renewal, and new beginnings.

Its simple spiral also lends itself naturally to carving, jewelry, illustration, and other contemporary Māori art.

The hei tiki is a distinctive human-like figure and one of the best-known forms of Māori personal adornment, particularly when carved from pounamu.

Hei tiki carries complex connections with ancestry, identity, and whakapapa.

Its significance goes far beyond the simplified description of a generic “good luck charm” sometimes found in commercial souvenir culture.

Shaped like a traditional fish hook, the hei matau immediately evokes fishing and the ocean.

Its form reflects the importance of the sea within Māori life and has become one of the most recognizable shapes in carved pendants and contemporary jewelry.

The hei toki is shaped after the toki, or adze, an important tool traditionally used in woodworking and carving.

Because of this connection with a practical tool requiring skill and strength, contemporary interpretations often associate hei toki with qualities such as strength, craftsmanship, and authority.

The manaia is a distinctive figurative form that can combine human and animal characteristics.

Rather than being reduced to a single “guardian symbol” definition, manaia is better understood within the broader world of Māori carving, where figurative forms can carry ancestral and spiritual associations depending on their context.

Pekapeka is a distinctive pendant form often recognized by its broad, symmetrical appearance.

Historical examples can resemble a bat-like silhouette, and some compositions incorporate paired manaia-like figures facing one another.

Its unusual shape makes it visually different from the more familiar koru and hook-shaped designs.

The koropepe is a traditional ornament with a curled, creature-like form, often described as resembling an eel or fish in motion.

Its curved silhouette provides another example of how animal forms can be stylized into compact designs for personal adornment.

Kapeu are long, slender pendants recognizable by the curve or bend toward one end.

Unlike highly figurative designs such as hei tiki, the strength of the kapeu lies in its elegant silhouette, showing that Māori adornment does not always depend on complex decorative imagery.

Māori visual culture continues to evolve.

Contemporary carvers and jewelry artists create new compositions and interpretations alongside historically documented forms.

Some designs now widely associated with Māori jewelry are therefore better understood as part of this continuing creative tradition, rather than automatically being labeled as ancient symbols.

As one of the most iconic Māori symbols, a double koru brings two curling koru forms together within one composition.

In contemporary jewelry and art, the form often expresses connection, family, partnership, or two lives growing together.

The exact story, however, may be specific to the artist or wearer.

Pikorua, commonly encountered as a twist or intertwined design, uses curving strands that appear to cross and reconnect.

Modern carvings frequently associate the form with connection, friendship, relationships, and intertwined life paths, making it especially popular for meaningful gifts.

Roimata is recognized by its simple elongated drop or teardrop silhouette and is commonly seen in contemporary carved pendants.

Different artists and jewellery traditions attach different interpretations to the form, so it is more useful to recognize its shape than assign it one universal meaning.

Heart-like designs also appear in contemporary Māori carving and jewelry, where they may be described using manawa, a Māori word associated with the heart and inner life.

These designs are commonly connected with love, affection, and emotional bonds, but the familiar Western heart silhouette should not be mistaken for an ancient Māori symbol.

Traditional does not mean “more authentic".

Māori art is a living creative tradition, and contemporary Māori artists continue to develop new forms and interpretations.

The distinction simply helps separate historically documented forms from meanings and designs that have become popular more recently.

If you are exploring Māori designs for jewellery, artwork, or inspiration, broad contemporary associations can provide a useful starting point:

• Growth or a new beginning: Koru
• Connection and relationships: Double koru or pikorua
• Connection with the ocean: Hei matau
• Strength and craftsmanship: Hei toki
• Ancestry and whakapapa: Hei tiki
• Love and affection: Contemporary heart / manawa designs

These associations are guides rather than rigid translations. A particular piece may carry a much more personal meaning shaped by its artist, recipient, and story.

Māori design extends well beyond pendants.

Recognizable forms can appear in pounamu jewelry and carving, whakairo, contemporary illustration, public art, architecture, fashion, and clothing.

Māori visual forms also interact with the distinct tradition of tā moko and Māori-inspired tattooing, where designs can communicate identity and whakapapa.

Tā moko should not be treated simply as a collection of decorative shapes available for copying.

Although the terms are often used interchangeably online, they are useful for describing different things.

Think of a Māori design as a recognizable form or silhouette, such as a hei matau, hei tiki, or koru.

Māori patterns focus more on repeated visual arrangements and motifs found in artistic traditions such as kōwhaiwhai, tukutuku, and tāniko.

Understanding this distinction makes it much easier to identify what you are actually looking at.

Respect begins with learning what a design is and where it comes from.

Understanding cultural context, distinguishing historical forms from contemporary interpretations, and supporting Māori artists and carvers are all good places to start.

It is equally important not to copy another person's moko, identity-specific artwork, or culturally significant composition simply because its appearance is appealing.