This!
is an incredible impressive Tiki handcrafted from a beautiful piece of Kahurangi Pounamu with bright white clusters throughout the stone and mounted onto a gorgeous piece of Totoweka Pounamu. This fabulous sculpture has wonderful Paua eyes and is a significant taonga to sit in a place of pride and pass on through the generations. As Seen in the Te Wahi Pounamu book by Alfred Moreton. Page 94 & 95
Tiki - According to legends Tiki was the first man on Earth who originated from the stars. The first mortal person who created the first woman after his image. The exact meaning of the Tiki is disputed. There are several opinions but the most accepted are that the Tiki stands for fertility. Traditionally regarded as a good luck charm meant to keep evil spirits away.
Sculpture -Genuine West Coast Kahurangi
Greenstone from the Marsden, West Coast area .
Kahurangi is the rarest variety of pounamu. It is highly translucent and often comes in vivid shades of green. Small, feather-like markings in the stone can give a cloud effect – although in order to be classed as Kahurangi, this effect must not reduce the stone’s clarity. The word Kahurangi also indicates nobility and refers to precious jewels and held in high esteem by Māori .
Base - Genuine West Coast Greenstone -Totoweka. This stone is usually like the mid green Kawakawa variety but differs in that the spotting or streaks are red like blood. It is rare to find Totoweka in the Westland jade fields, but when a piece is discovered, it is highly cherished and sometimes becomes the show piece of the fossicker’s collection. Large deposits of Totoweka occur in the South Westland area. The name comes from toto (blood), weka (Native bush hen) or weka blood. The red iron oxide inclusions were likened to the colour of blood of the Weka.
