A paua pendant shaped in the symbol of white supremacy is one of the mystery objects in Puke Ariki's collection.

The pendant's form conjures up meanings that span the history of mankind.

All that changed in the lead-up to World War II, and since then, this object has been hidden away – and for good reason. The paua pendant is a swastika.

This symbol is now one of the most taboo in the Western world since German dictator Adolf Hitler adopted it for his political party, the Nazis, in 1920.

Prior to that, the symbol of the swastika, or fylfot, had been found on prehistoric relics, ancient artefacts and religious images in almost all the countries in the world.

The name swastika comes from the Sanskrit, an ancient Indian language: Svastikah, meaning "being happy".

Before it was hijacked by Hitler, this symbol was a sign of good fortune and prosperity, the circular movement of the universe, the sun, the seasons and of life. Now in Germany, public showings of this symbol are illegal and punishable.

The origin of the pendant in Puke Ariki is unknown. Collections staff have no records about when or how the object arrived at the former Taranaki Museum. The only clues to its meaning and story lie within the object itself.

The swastika pendant is made from one solid piece of paua shell. In the top part of the cross there is a hole inserted with a brass ring, where a chain would have passed. The chain is not with the pendant so it's unknown how close to the heart it was worn.

The swastika pendant is right-facing, rotating in a clockwise cross. This follows the same direction used by the Nazi Party. Hindi swastikas were also traditionally right facing, but since World War II changed to anti-clockwise.

It is possible that Puke Ariki's pendant was made before World War II. Other documentation provides evidence that swastika pendants and brooches were worn for good luck in the early 20th century – up until 1920.

New Plymouth jeweller Ian Dalgleish says that pre-WWII, small silver swastika pendants were sold in his shop to put in Christmas cakes, as they were considered a lucky find.

But Mr Dalgleish says that the use of paua shell for jewellery did not become fashionable until the 1950s.

However, the pendant has been hand-made, not manufactured, with signs of over-cutting visible on some of the corners. Therefore, it is possible that it was hand-made for someone before Nazi times – by the 1950s a swastika would probably not have been sold in New Zealand.

India-based poet and writer, Rudyard Kipling used the symbol as a coat of arms on all his published work up until 1933, when the Nazis came to power. His meanings for the swastika were beauty, force, originality and insight.

In Japan, the swastika is still a religious symbol and it was printed on playing cards marketing the cartoon, Pokémon – though these cards were not sold outside of Japan.

Even a multi-national soft-drink corporation has used the swastika for marketing. In 1925 it made a lucky watch fob in the shape of a swastika with advertising on the cross – however, the company claims it has no record of this.

The swastika paua pendant in Puke Ariki's collection exists within a revered history and a damned present (since World War II). Will it live up to its traditional meaning and have a rebirth or is it to exist eternally in the memory of the Third Reich?

Anybody who may know the background to this mystery piece, please contact us.