An incredible double Manaia guardian handcrafted from a striking piece of Kokopu Pounamu. This unique piece has outstanding colours of gold, cream, black and brown and patterns that resemble petrafied wood and is a truly special 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.
Kokopu- Greenstone from the West Coast Taramakau River area, West Coast. Comes in many colour variations from light to dark browns, creamy whites, light blues, olive greens to yellow even golden. Also known as trout-stone named after the dark brown, olive green and yellowish markings found on the three species of native freshwater trout. The spotted textures and range of colour give this stone a diverse presence.
Hand carved by Aden Hoglund
Size 180mm long x 77mm wide x 20mm thick
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.
