This impressive PekaPeka is hand carved from Whale Bone with beautiful Goat Horn eyes and has wonderful Kowhaiwhai patterns on both sides. The mastery of this carver has to be seen to be believed, really stunning.
Peka Peka
is a very old Māori Design representing a Native NZ bat, it is often classed as a Manaia, which are 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.
Kowhaiwhai- The Kowhaiwhai is a traditional Māori pattern that is used in whakairo (carving) and art, as well as being decorative, Kowhaiwhai patterns also help to tell a story. Kowhaiwhai in whare tipuna (meeting houses) are specially designed for the iwi (tribe) the house belongs to. It tells stories about their history. Kowhaiwhai are painted on the rafters or the tahuhu (ridgepole) of the house stretching the length of the building. The Kowhaiwhai painted on the ridgepole represents the whakapapa (genealogy) of the iwi (tribe). Nature is often the inspiration for these beautiful and stunning patterns.
Bone
has always been a special medium for Māori artists, Whales are considered a taonga species, and represent abundance, richness and were regarded as chiefly animals. Some tribes see whales as the descendants of Tangaroa, the god of the ocean and stranding’s are seen as gifts from Tangaroa and carving them is a way of honouring that gift. Whales possess a tapu (sacred) significance to Māori as both supernatural beings and as harbingers of personal change and spiritual growth.
Genuine Whale bone - Ethically sourced from the Chatham Islands.
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.
