An incredible Manaia with a Koru at the heart and a stunning face handcrafted from a wonderful piece of Raukaraka Pounamu, a beautiful carving with an Auhunga Pounamu toggle on the neutral-coloured binding, this will be a fantastic taonga for someone special.
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.
Koru- The Māori word for bright or loop. It refers to the shoots of the silver fern. The circular movement to the inner core refers to "going back to the beginnings". The unfurling frond itself is symbolic for new life, new beginnings, hope, personal growth, purity nurturing, a new phase in life, the spirit of rejuvenation and peace.
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.
Size 88mm long x 55mm 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.
