Maori Moko Mask Toki 4.5 Inch

Maori Moko Mask Toki

Tā Moko is like a history of a person's achievements and represents their status in their tribe. Tā moko is the permanent body and face marking by Māori. Traditionally it is distinct from tattoo and tatau in that the skin was carved by uhi (chisels) rather than punctured. This left the skin with grooves, rather than a smooth surface.

The Adze (Toki) is traditionally worn by Maori elders, it represents power, wisdom and authority.

New Zealand produces some of the finest nephrite Jade in the world. Nephrite Jade in New Zealand is referred to by Maori as Pounamu. Pounamu has great signifigance for Maori, it is believed Pounamu (Greenstone/Jade) absorbs the mana or spirit of the wearer. It is also renowned for its toughness and beauty.

Greenstone, or Jade, is obtainable only in the South Island of New Zealand, in remote, rugged places on the West Coast and to a lesser extent in Fiordland and Central Otago. Being extremely hard and tough it was very difficult to work, until a new technique of abrasive cutting was developed some five hundred years ago. This was most laborious but gave workmen precise control over their materials. From that time greenstone adzes and chisels were used extensively in woodworking, and finer carving became possible. Pieces of greenstone were the most precious of trade commodities, passed from hand to hand until they reached the most distant parts of the country.

Several Maori myths explain the origin of greenstone. In one of the best known, greenstone was a fish named Poutini that swam from Hawaiki to its present location at Aotearoa. This fish was a pet of a man named Ngahue.