Toki Pounamu Pendant - 10

Hand-crafted toki Approximately 8.5 x 4.5cm

Ko ōku toki pounamu he mihi, ā, he maumaharatanga hoki ki a Kupe rāua ko Ngahue, tō rāua kitenga tuatahi o tēnei whenua hou ā, tō rāua kimi hoki o te pounamu ki konei, ki Aotearoa nei.

Toki are by far the most common design I carve. I have an affinity for them and very much enjoy carving them. I carve my toki as taonga to keep some of the early kōrero surrounding toki alive. The main kōrero that inspires me involves Kupe and Ngahue, said to be the first of our Polynesian tīpuna to discover our beautiful islands. It is said that whilst they were exploring this new country that they came across pounamu, immediately recognised its beauty and value and subsequently took shards and pieces of pounamu back to Hawaiki. It is said that these shards were fashioned into toki pounamu which were then used to help carve many of the voyaging waka that made multiple trips to and from Aotearoa. Every one of my toki pounamu acknowledges and celebrates this kōrero.

Ko ngā taonga ruruku he tohu o te rurukutanga o ngā tangata hei iwi kotahi

Lashed or bound pendants represent the binding together of people as one. These taonga are appropriate for whānau, workmates or other collectives where unity is important.

Handcrafted in Aotearoa

Nā Dean Marjoribanks