Matariki pendant

Limited Edition Matariki Pendant

For you, the discerning pounamu buyer, our first annual limited edition Matariki pendant.  We have only 9 of these limited edition pendants available (one for each star in the Matariki star cluster). You will want to be one of the lucky few who are wearing one of these beauties.

Your Matariki pendant this year is based on the arero of the kō.  The kō is a digging stick used by Māori to turn ground for planting and harvest. (refer to Te Ara encyclopedia image of kō in photos).  Etched into the front face you’ll find the Matariki star cluster.  While the kō was used to work the new ground, making it ready for new seedlings and the year ahead, similarly the appearance of the Matariki star cluster signals the new year, new beginnings and all the potential that lies in the year ahead.  Just as important though, Matariki celebrations are also a time to reflect on the year gone by and to remember loved ones who had past.

If you are looking for a pendant that is unique, that is carved with intention and that has an intrinsic connection to our universe then this is the piece for you.    You’ll want to be in quick if you want your own taonga from this limited edition Tangiwai Matariki pendant series.

95mm long x 38mm wide

JUST ONE of our 2019 MATARIKI PENDANTS LEFT.  Every one of the nine pendants is its own unique creation.  While they have all been carved from the same stone they vary slightly in stone pattern and design.  This makes each piece uniquely yours. 

The Story

The Matariki star cluster rises each year sometime around the shortest day.  This reappearance brings the old lunar year to a close and heralds the beginning of the Māori new year.  Historically tohunga would look to the star cluster to see how the weather would be for the year ahead and subsequently how abundant the coming year’s harvest would be.  As winter pressed in the storehouses were full and it was time to rest from the hard work of harvest.  Matariki signalled a time to celebrate the hard-earned harvest of the previous year.  Similarly, it was also a time to remember those who had died during the past year. Recognising the endless cycle of life and death, planting and harvest. (read more about Matariki)