This tiki wananga is held in the Otago Museum collection (Anderson, 66). It is important because it could be seen as an early example of design in Aotearoa New Zealand. It reminds me of greenstone hei tiki pendants. Hei tiki are linked to fertility (Anderson, 40), whereas tiki wananga were/are used to communicate with the spirits (Anderson, 66). Hei tiki can reference the start of a life because they look embryonic, whereas, in my opinion, the tiki wananga looks more like the end of a life, or what I would consider a 'spirit.'
"Commonly known as godsticks, tiki wananga or pou whakapakoko were used in divination ceremonies. The tohunga dressed a tiki wananga by winding a cord around the body in a certain pattern… the tiki wananga was then stuck in the ground… (the tohunga then tugged) the string to ensure that his words had attracted divine attention" (Anderson, 66).
This is a product of design in the fact that a simple cross could be seen as a medium of divination and a connection to the gods (predominantly in christianity). This tiki wananga is in a similar shape and form as a cross. It looks like it has been made with a type of hard wood but over the centuries it has started to splinter. It has a figurative aspect to it too. This godstick might have even evolved from a Patu. As the stick also shows features of a handle. Even though the tiki wananga is used in divine ceremonies.
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