A beautiful Hei Matau Koru is hand carved from Whale Bone and has fantastic Kowhaiwhai patterns on both sides. The mastery of this carver has to be seen to be believed and is unmatched. really stunning.
Hei Matau/Fishhook- Originally Māori have been fishermen. Their main food source was the sea, so a fishhook of high quality was an unbelievably valuable item to own. The hook became a symbol of prosperity, abundance, good health, power, authority and respect for the sea and its life in it. They also provide good luck and safety while travelling across water.
Koru- The Māori word for bright or loop. It refers to the shoots of the silver fern. The circular movement to the inner core refers to "going back to the beginnings". The unfurling frond itself is symbolic for new life, new beginnings, hope, personal growth, purity nurturing, a new phase in life, the spirit of rejuvenation and peace.
Kowhaiwhai- The Kowhaiwhai is a traditional Māori pattern that is used in whakairo (carving) and art, as well as being decorative, Kowhaiwhai patterns also help to tell a story. Kowhaiwhai in whare tipuna (meeting houses) are specially designed for the iwi (tribe) the house belongs to. It tells stories about their history. Kowhaiwhai are painted on the rafters or the tahuhu (ridgepole) of the house stretching the length of the building. The Kowhaiwhai painted on the ridgepole represents the whakapapa (genealogy) of the iwi (tribe). Nature is often the inspiration for these beautiful and stunning patterns.
Bone
has always been a special medium for Māori artists, Whales are considered a taonga species, and represent abundance, richness and were regarded as chiefly animals. Some tribes see whales as the descendants of Tangaroa, the god of the ocean and stranding’s are seen as gifts from Tangaroa and carving them is a way of honouring that gift. Whales
possess a tapu (sacred) significance to Māori as both supernatural beings and as harbingers of personal change and spiritual growth.
Genuine Whale bone - Ethically sourced from the Chatham Islands.
This will be the exact piece you will receive in the photos, there may be a slight degree of colour variation based on different computer or device screen resolutions that you are viewing from.
