Each jade, pounamu, greenstone carving shape holds a different meaning or significance in Māori culture.
Carving Meanings
Each jade, pounamu, greenstone carving shape holds a different meaning or significance in Māori culture.
Toki
The Toki carving design symbolises determination, control, strength, focus, and honour.
Its shape represents an axe head.
Fish Hook
The fish hook in Māori culture represents prosperity, fertility, and safe passage over water.
Wearing a fish hook pendant is said to symbolise strength and determination. It is believed to bring peace, prosperity, and good health.
Shark Tooth
The Shark Tooth carving design symbolises masculinity and provides strength to the wearer. It is a talisman that brings good fortune to the wearer and provides protection.
Koru
The Koru is a spiral shape based on the appearance of a new unfurling silver fern frond. It symbolises new life, growth, strength, and peace.
Pikorua – The Twist
Pikorua – The Twist represents the path of life and love.
It symbolises the joining of lives in love and friendship for eternity.
Roimata – Drop
Roimata encourages knowledge, confidence, and independence. It gives positive energy, helps to heal and is often called the comfort stone.
Manaia
A symbol of power, Manaia carvings have the head of a bird, a human body, followed by the tail of a fish. It represents the sky, earth, and sea. This is a spiritual piece used to protect the wearer and bring good luck into their life.
Mere (War Club)
Mere is a war club that gives the wearer courage to face and achieve anything in life.
It symbolises authority and functioned as a status symbol/ranking.
The Breastplate
The Breastplate carving gives the wearer strength, serving as a shield and offering protection.
Hei Tiki
An ancestral piece considered a taonga (treasure) by Māori. They serve as memorials to ancestors and are traditionally passed down through families from parent to child. They provide protection as well as good luck.
Porohita – The Disc
This jade carving represents the circle of life, which is neverending. It symbolises endless opportunities.
Whale tail
The Whale Tail is a symbol of protection and strength. It is a sign of respect for the sea and provides safety when travelling over water.
