A stunning Kawakawa Manaia Sculpture on a beautiful piece water worn polished Inanga Flower Jade stone . An absolutely gorgeous manaia on an equally gorgeous stone mount.
The Manaia is a mythological creature in Māori culture, and is a common motif in Māori carving and jewellery. The Manaia is usually depicted as having the head of a bird and the tail of a fish and the body of a man, though it is sometimes depicted as a bird, a serpent, or a human figure in profile. The Manaia is traditionally believed to be the messenger between the earthly world of mortals and the domain of the spirits, and its symbol is used as a guardian against evil.
Sculpture - Genuine West Coast Greenstone – Kawakawa. A dark rich green with varying intermediate shades, named after the leaf of the Kawakawa. It is the main type used in gem purposes.
Base -This a Genuine West Coast Inanga Greenstone from the Arahura River area, West Coast. A grey-green colour. It is either very translucent or quite opaque. Highly prized by the Maori and the desired material for making Mere and Patu.The most prized Greenstone in New Zealand is flower
jade, Greenstone with pale green or ochre clouds of colour. This distinctive patterning and colouring comes from the outside rim or 'rind' of the greenstone boulders or stones where the surface has oxidised.
