Niho o te Taniwha Pounamu earrings
These niho pounamu earrings are strong taonga. You can feel their very grounding presence connecting you to Papatūānuku, to the awa, to whakapapa. (Niho o te Taniwha, the tooth of the Taniwha)
The colours in these taonga are stunning, creams, brilliant green and that lovely orange rind. Only Te Tau Ihu creates pounamu in all these beautiful colours and patterns. And believe it or not, these earrings are made from one slice of pounamu. Isnt it amazing, the variation one finds in Pounamu? These would make a wonderful gift for that unique person in your life.
The pounamu Taniwha Niho symbolises strength and guardianship, as that of the Taniwha. It also symbolises iwi and community as the taniwha work to protect both.
Taniwha are supernatural creatures that live in the watery depths of rivers, seas, lakes and caves around Aotearoa. They take various shapes from dragons and serpents to sharks or logs of wood.
Taniwha can be both kaitiaki of a place or person or dangerous beings. But when treated with the appropriate respect taniwha usually act kindly toward humans.
Most iwi have their own taniwha. Many taniwha came to Aotearoa as guardians of the different ancestral waka and stayed on to be kaitiaki over the descendants of the original crew. As kaitiaki Taniwha might warn of an enemys approach or save someone from drowning.
Taniwha play a vital role in maintaining the balance of day to day life as they ensure that people respect the restrictions imposed by tapu. They also make certain that any violations are punished.
Poutini was a taniwha who protected both the people and the mauri of pounamu. And Tim himself was led to his first pounamu (and subsequent others) when a pounamu taniwha appeared to him in a dream. Read more on that beautiful story here.
- Kokopu pounamu from Te Tau Ihu
- 62mm total length x 48mm pounamu
- Sterling Silver hooks, handmade
- One of a kind, taonga by Timoti
💚Now every taonga you purchase helps us to carve a taonga for EVERY tamariki in care in Aotearoa. You can read more about our Tū Māia project here. Ngā mihi mahana for your support of this kaupapa!💚
$240.00
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