Manaia - Douglas Creek - New Zealand
$2,990.00
M1
Drop : 41.22 mm
Wide : 111.57 mm
The manaia is one of the most spiritually significant figures in Māori art and culture. Rendered in pounamu, it appears as a creature of three realms: the head of a bird, the body of a human, and the tail of a fish. This composite form is not accidental, each element is commonly understood to represent one of the three great realms Māori cosmology recognises, and the manaia moves freely between all of them.
As a pounamu design, the manaia is a powerful protective taonga. It is said to guard the wearer from negative forces, guide them through difficult transitions, and carry their prayers and intentions between the earthly world and the spiritual one.