A stunning Manaia guardian handcrafted from a gorgeous piece of blue (Nelson) Te Tau Ihu Inanga Pounamu. This Manaia is so special a beautiful carving with awesome colour and patterns so unique to Nelson Region Pounamu and will be an amazing taonga for a very special person.
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.
Inanga- Pounamu takes its name from a freshwater fish native to New Zealand. It is pale and often transparent, like the young of the Inanga fish. It is pearly white to grey green in colour, and ranges from translucent to quite opaque. It can change colour over time, developing a light olive tint as it ages and oxidises - Highly prized by the Māori and the desired material for making Mere and Patu.
Hand Carved by Tim Steele
Size 86mm long x46mm wide 11mm 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.
