A stunning Rei Niho with 13 notches in one side and a Manaia at the end handcrafted from a gorgeous piece of Kahurangi Pounamu, this will be a wonderful Taonga.
Rei Niho(Eye Tooth) carved from pounamu, maintains the beauty of the traditional form, symbolising the intimate connection between Maori and Tohorā. The mark of a high Chief was one who wore the Rei Niho (whale tooth pendant), as the teeth of the sperm whale (Paraoa) were highly prized because of their rarity. With actual whale teeth being such a rarity, it became common to fashion the tooth form from other materials such as this example created from Pounamu.
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.
Kahurangi- Genuine West Coast 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 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.
Hand carved by Moko Workshop
Size 52mm long x 28mm 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.
