A beautiful Manaia guardian handcrafted from a wonderful piece of Kahurangi Pounamu. This Manaia is special with the incorporation of the Matau. It will be a cherished Taonga.
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.
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.
Kahurangi- Genuine West Coast Greenstone from the Marsden, West Coast area .
Kahurangi is the rarest variety of pounamu. It is highly translucent and often comes in vivid shades of green. Small, feather-like markings in the stone can give a cloud effect – although to be classed as Kahurangi, this effect must not reduce the stone’s clarity. The word Kahurangi also indicates nobility and refers to precious jewels and held in high esteem by Māori .
Hand Carved by Ross Crump
Size 63mm long x 33mm 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.
