Moko Pounamu Koru Whale Bone Carving - Waiouru

A fantastic Genuine Whale Bone Koru with Kowhaiwhai pattern, this piece is beautifully grained bone and will be a treasured taonga.

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.

Kowhaiwhai- The Kōwhaiwhai 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.

Whale 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 strandings 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.

Hand Carved by Moko Workshops

Size 38mm long x 37mm wide x 8mm 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.