Moko Pounamu Manaia Pendant Genuine Whale Bone Carving - Werina

This wonderful Manaia pendant is hand carved from Genuine Whale Bone with a beautiful Paua eye. The colours and textures of this bone is beautiful and this will be a treasured taonga. WITH BEAUTIFAUL CARVED DETAIL ALONG THE BODY AND TAIL

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.

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

Size 90mm long x 50mm wide x 10mm 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.