Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
Pounamu was highly prized by Māori and the mere pounamu as the weapon of a chief or rangatira, was the most revered of all Māori weapons. These mere were passed through generations; they were given names, and were said to possess a spiritual quality or mana of their own. Particularly special mere were imbued with magical powers, or ...
Weapons were made of wood, stone and bone in a slow, painstaking process. Traditionally, a long weapon from hardwood could take months to shape and decorate; a stone patu would take over a year to complete. Though it took time to fashion weapons, the level of dedication and pride in creating these objects made them valuable.
The Māori word pounamu is derived from namu, an archaic word that describes blue-green (or 'grue') cognate with Tahitian ninamu. [2] Pounamu, also used in New Zealand English, in itself refers to two main types of green stone valued for carving: nephrite jade, classified by Māori as kawakawa, kahurangi, īnanga, and other names depending on colour; and translucent bowenite, a type of ...
Jade Books in Heaven, described in several Daoist cosmographies as existent primordially in the various divine Heavens. These Jade Books are variously said to be instrumental in creating and maintaining the divine structure of the universe, or as regulating national or personal destiny.
Main page; Contents; Current events; Random article; About Wikipedia; Contact us
The area was, and continues to be, an important source of pounamu greenstone or jade. This precious stone is used for making Maori tools, weapons, and jewelry. This precious stone is used for making Maori tools, weapons, and jewelry.
Tukukino, 1878 by Gottfried Lindauer, oil on canvas. A tewhatewha is a long-handled Māori club weapon shaped like an axe.Designed to be held in two hands, the weapon comes to a mata (point) at one end and a rapa (broad, quarter-round head) at the other.
Pounamu is esteemed highly by Māori for its beauty, toughness and great hardness; it is used not only for ornaments such as hei-tiki and ear pendants, but also for carving tools, adzes and weapons. Named varieties include translucent green kahurangi , whitish inanga , semi-transparent kawakawa , and tangiwai or bowenite.