A fabulous Manaia handcrafted from a wonderful piece of Hapopo Pounamu with Totoweka pattern throughout, in a beautiful satin finish with a bright red wax eye. This is such a stunning carving and will be a fantastic taonga.
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.
Hapopo- Genuine West Coast Greenstone. It's colour ranges from medium green to a dark forest green with a unique mottled texture. The name originating from Kā Umu o Hapopo (Big Bay) which is in Poutini ki te toka (South Westland).
Hand Carved by Des Hetherington
Size 100mm long x 45mm wide x 13mm 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.
