Moko Pounamu, Manaia Heru Genuine Whale Bone Carving - Ohaeawai

This is a fantastic hand carved Whale Bone Manaia Heru with Paua eye.

Bone Heru- used by Māori to fasten long hair into a top knot. These also identified the rank of the wearer and were usually carved from a single piece of whale bone or wood and on occasion decorated with paua shell. Traditionally carved from Whale bone

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.

Whale 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.

150mm long x 47mm wide

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.