A wonderful Manaia hand crafted from a beautiful pastel coloured piece of Marsden Flower Pounamu and mounted on an exceptional water worn Raukaraka Pounamu pebble. A sculpture of this calibre is going to last for many generations, being passed to each new generation to care for and protect them.
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 - Marsden Putiputi (Flower)
Pounamu from the Marsden, West Coast area. The centre of this stone is a highly translucent, light-ish green shade, free from dark spots and other flaws. One of the rarest varieties, held in high esteem by the Māori. The most prized Greenstone in New Zealand is Flower Jade, Greenstone with pale green or ochre clouds of colour. This distinctive patterning and colouring come from the outside rim or 'rind' of the greenstone boulders or stones where the surface has oxidised.
Base - Raukaraka
Genuine West Coast Greenstone from the Taramakau River Area. This is the term used by the Māori of the Cook Strait region of the Kawakawa variety that is streaked with a shade of olive green and has yellow and orange hues that blend into the greens. This stone shares its name with the New Zealand native Karaka tree.
Hand Carved by Ross Crump
Size Sculpture - 91mm tall x 65mm wide
Base - 127mm long x 48mm deep x 28mm high
Overall height - 104mm
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.
