Overview
Pounamu is desired not only for its strength but also its beauty – its colours, translucency, texture, and sound. Māori artists have taken advantage of these qualities to create striking adornments. These include ear pendants that let the light shine through and items that tinkle with movement.
Here, you can see significant pounamu adornments from the past, especially hei tiki (pendants in human form). Some still carry the stories of their owners. The whakapapa (genealogy) of others has been lost – but the superb craftsmanship remains.
Māori artists continue to fashion pounamu today, usually with modern equipment. Non-Māori artists have joined them – in fact, they now represent the majority of carvers. The results include innovative, contemporary works, though traditional Māori forms continue to inspire.
Te taonga i kaingākautia
He taonga te pounamu ka kaingākautia mō tōna kaha otirā mō tōna huatau - ōna kano, tōna whakatiaho, te māene me te tatangi. I huri mai ngā ringa rehe o te iwi Māori ki te whai haere i ēnei āhuatanga kia hua ake ai he taonga whakarākei e tau ai te wana. Ko ētahi o ēnei he whakakai he kōataata tētahi wāhi. He taonga ētahi ka tatangi i te koringa o te tinana.
Hei konei ka kite koe i ētahi taonga whakarākei pounamu tuku iho i mua, otirā kei konei ētahi tiki. (he taonga whakahei ki te uma, he āhuatanga tangata) Kei ētahi anō o ēnei ko ngā kōrero o te hunga nō rātou ake. Ko ētahi kua ngaro te whakapapa – heoi anō te mea e toe ana, ko te mōhio nā te tohunga i kauoro te taonga.
Kei te haere tonu ngā mahi tārei taonga pounamu a te Māori i ēnei rā, mō te nuinga ka mahia ki ngā tangotango hōu. Kua huri mai ngā tohunga toi ehara nei i te Māori ki te whaiwhai i ēnei mahi – ā, ko rātou te wāhanga nui o te hunga tārei ināianei. Kei ētahi o ēnei mahi hōu ka kitea te auaha, te whakaatanga o te ao hurihuri, me te mōhio anō he mana nui tonu tō te ao tawhito hanga i te pounamu.