Matomato Roimata on Hiriwa

Roimata are the tears cried by two sacred albatross that accompanied Pourangahua to Aotearoa.  As such they are a lovely gift when you are wanting to express empathy and compassion for the sorrow of a loved one. Roimata can also be the tears between an unbreakable love and are therefore a beautiful way to show someone that you love them, you are thinking of them, and that you are with them always.

Hold this beauty up to the sun and you can see right inside the stone.  It lights up with incredible lime green patterns and colour.

And you see that beautiful internal fracture running the length of the pendant like a lightening bolt?  Simply stunning. That does not weaken the integrity of the stone. It is a healed fracture. Made when the stone is in the womb of Papatūānuku and healed by minerals seeping in and sealing the fracture under intense heat and pressure.  A little like us don’t you think? We may acquire scars in life, but we can heal and become more beautiful because of them.

This taonga the perfect size for your tamariki, but looks equally at home on an adult sized human.  A lovely  gift to let someone know you love them.

Hiriwa is silver.  In our efforts to care for Papatūānuku and her people we decided a long time ago that we would never buy new silver chains as we do not know under what conditions the silver is mined and proceseed, nor the conditions of the labourers working the chains.  So we scour antique and second hand stores to source our sterling silver chain.  While the stamp has been lost over the years, this belcher chain has been certified as 925 Sterling silver by our antique dealer.

THE STORY

Pourangahua was an agriculturist travelling to Aotearoa to grow kumara. The kumara were gifted to him by Ruakapanga, a tohunga and learned scientist.  

Ruakapanga lent Pourangahua two pet albatrosses to accompany him on his journey. He gave him strict instructions on how to care for the birds, and a karakia to give thanksgiving for their safe return. However, in his hurry to see his wife Kaniowai, Pourangahua took a shortcut, ran into a taniwha, forgot the karakia and failed to care for the birds. Consequently, this led to the bird’s grief and eventual demise.

Upon realising that he had dishonoured Ruakapanga, Pourangahua tries to cover his mistake. He belatedly spoke the karakia, but it was too late. The damage was done, the toroa were weak and abused.  They flew back to Ruakapanga. He was furious when he saw the state of his beloved toroa. In his anger, he cursed the kumara with a blight that can wreak havoc to an entire years crop.

This story comes from Tim’s Te Tairawhiti Ngati Porou whakapapa.  

The Roimata Toroa speaks of the importance of following tikanga and respecting the wisdom of those who are here to help us on our journey.  Roimata Toroa also symbolises a deep unabiding sorrow, as that felt by Pourangahua for his mistakes.  Moreover, Roimata Toroa symbolises an unbreakable love, like the love Ruakapanga felt for his taonga toroa.

• Kawakawa  from Te Tai Poutini.
• 45mm long x 16mm wide.  Chain 58cm long
• One of a kind Taonga By Timoti