Āhua Gallery

Māhē are sinker stones used to weigh down fishing nets.

Material: Otaua (Greywacke)

Measurements: 50mm x 37mm x 35mm

Māhē are sinker stones used to weigh down fishing nets.

Material: Onewa (Greywacke) & Paua Shell

Measurements: 56mm x 54mm x 49mm

A waka tūpāpaku is a box used for containing the bones of a person of high rank after they had been exposed on the atamira platform, the flesh removed and the bones anointed with oil and red ochre, placed in a waka tūpāpaku and taken to a tribal buriel cave.

Material: Tōtara

Measurements: 580mm x 140mm x 110mm

Kete whakairo are woven flax bags of a finer quality than the general utilitarian kete. They are normally made from prepared strips of flax and/or kiekie, some of which have been dyed. Kete whakairo may also feature geometric designs.

Material: Harakeke & Feather Adornments

Measurements: 240mm x 200mm x 100mm

The tekoteko is a stylised representation of the main progenitor of a tribe and is the most focal point of the whare whakairo (carved tribal meeting house). They can be found – on traditional meeting houses – either at the highest point at the front apex of the roof or at the front central post. They can also be found at the base of the poutokomanawa (the main central ridge support post) of the house.

Material: Koiwi (Beef Bone)

Measurements: 42mm x 47mm x 6mm

Hei tiki are the best known of all Māori adornments. Tiki are symbols of fertility that depict a new-born child. They are often family heirlooms bearing personal names and embodying their wearers lineage. As with most Māori personal adornments, hei tiki are often passed down generationally.

Material: Pounamu (Rau Karaka)

Measurements: 90mm x 60mm x 13mm

Kete whakairo are woven flax bags of a finer quality than the general utilitarian kete. They are normally made from prepared strips of flax and/or kiekie, some of which have been dyed. Kete whakairo may also feature geometric designs. Material: Harakeke.

Material: Harakeke & Muka

Measurements: 265mm x 200mm

Kete whakairo are woven flax bags of a finer quality than the general utilitarian kete. They are normally made from prepared strips of flax and/or kiekie, some of which have been dyed. Kete whakairo may also feature geometric designs. Material: Harakeke.

Material: Harakeke & Muka

Measurements: 260mm x 210mm

Material: Pounamu (Kawakawa)

Measurements: 78mm x 19mm

Stacy was carving at our Tuku Iho Exhibition in Japan when a customer suggested that he look into 'Magatama' pendants & artefacts which he did so by visiting the Tokyo Museum. The magatama is an ancient form dating back to Austronesia. They have been found in Japan & Korea. Usually made from various stones and bones including Jade, the pendant was one of three important items ceremoniously bestowed upon each successive Emperor.

Being such an ancient artefact dating back to pre-history, the original meaning has been lost, there is conjecture as to what it represents. Some of the various ideas are; an animal claw, a bird beak or talon, an embryo or fetus, and even possibly a depiction of a human soul. Stacy was intrigued by this ancient form and decided to carve one out of Pounamu (NZ Jade), possibly the only one in existence? Polynesians originated in Austronesia, is this possibly an ancient form that we carved into Polynesia? Stacy see parallels with this form in the Hawaiian Lei Niho Palãoa and some of our archaic kākano period niho forms.

The other aspect Stacy found intriguing was the interpretation that it is an embryo form or stage of fetal development just like the Hei Tiki, hence the title of this work, Magatama/ Hei Tiki.

Material: Pounamu (Putiputi)

Measurements: 57mm x 30mm x 16mm

The tekoteko is a stylised representation of the main progenitor of a tribe and is the most focal point of the whare whakairo (carved tribal meeting house). They can be found – on traditional meeting houses – either at the highest point at the front apex of the roof or at the front central post. They can also be found at the base of the poutokomanawa (the main central ridge support post) of the house.