Te Takapū - National Stone & Bone Carving School
Select Subcategory
At Te Takapū, students learn the revered tradition of carving pounamu (Nephrite-Jade/Greenstone), bone and stone.
The school opened on 5 October 2009, expanding on NZMACI’s commitment to maintaining, developing and promoting the arts, crafts and culture of iwi Māori (Māori tribes) as mandated by the New Zealand Maori Arts and Crafts Institute Act (1963) (History).
The school was first led by Lewis Gardiner who is a well-regarded pounamu artist of his generation.
Stacy Gordine, a renowned artist from the East Coast of New Zealand – and uri of Hone Te Kauru and Pine Taiapa – now leads the programme and is shaping the direction of the wānanga into the future.
Would you like something custom made especially for you? Commission a piece here
Rei Puta - 3885HW
The mark of a high Chief was one who wore the Rei Puta (whale tooth pendant), as the teeth of the Sperm Whale were highly prized because of their rarity. With actual whale teeth being such a rarity, it became common to fashion the tooth form from other materials.
Material: Onewa (NZ Greywacke)
Measurements: 135mm x 63mm x 30mm
$1,850.00
Aurei - 5473MA
Aurei were customarily used as a pin for fastening cloaks and may be made from bone, stone, wood or shell. They may also have been worn through the ear as an earring or around the neck as a pendant. Aurei are still commonly worn as pendants and earrings and as with most Māori personal adornments, are often passed down generationally.
Material: Pounamu (Kawakawa)
Measurements: 135mm x 28mm x 17mm
$1,800.00
Kurupapa - 6166KH
This manu (bird) form is a variation of the kapeu which are slender adornments with a slight bend at the bottom and were often worn as ear pendants. This kapeu has been fashioned from pounamu (New Zealand Jade). Kapeu were highly prized and a sign of high rank in Māori society. They are commonly also worn as neck pendants.
Material: Pounamu (Kawakawa)
Measurements: 51mm x 13mm x 2mm
$270.00
Pekapeka - 5694RH
The Pekapeka (native NZ bat) represents the interwoven nature of the spirit world and the world of the living – the seen and the unseen. The bat was interpreted by Māori as a creature who symbolically acted as an interface between the two worlds and whose physiology (which does not possess the gift of sight) appeared to be guided by the ethereal and the metaphysical.
Material: Pounamu (Kawakawa)
Measurements: 60mm x 35mm x 8mm
$1,100.00
Mourei - 6168KH
The breastplate represents strength, serving as a shield and offering protection.
Material: Pounamu (Kawakawa)
Measurements: 46mm x 19mm x 6mm
$290.00
Pōria Kākā - 5497MA
Pōria Kākā are leg rings crafted from bone or stone used to keep pet kākā (parrots) from flying away. The giant kaka parrot was used by the Māori to assist them during hunting. The bird was used as a decoy to capture other kaka parrots.
As with many Māori items the kaka ring was both used as a tool as well as an adornment.
Material: Pounamu (Kawakawa)
Measurements: 35mm x 25mm x 4mm
$450.00
Toki - 6179KH
The toki pendent is based on the form of the carving chisel used in whakairo (Māori carving).
Material: Pounamu (Kawakawa)
Measurements: 50mm x 19mm x 6mm
$450.00
Toki - 6180KH
The toki pendent is based on the form of the carving chisel used in whakairo (Māori carving).
Material: Pounamu (Kawakawa)
Measurements: 50mm x 19mm x 7mm
$490.00
Aurei - 5638KC
Aurei were customarily used as a pin for fastening cloaks and may be made from bone, stone, wood or shell. They may also have been worn through the ear as an earring or around the neck as a pendant. Aurei are still commonly worn as pendants and earrings and as with most Māori personal adornments, are often passed down generationally.
Material: Pounamu (Kawakawa)
Measurements: 83mm x 10mm
$420.00