Greenstone Trails: The Maori Search for Pounamu

NEW ZEALAND

• 192, [8] p. of plates : ill. (some col.) ; 25 cm.
• Bibliography: p. 185-186. #041223 First Edition
• Maori (New Zealand people)
• Jade
• Trails — New Zealand
• New Zealand — Description and travel

• According to the people of Ngāi Tahu (a South Island tribe), Poutini was a Taniwha (giant water being) who swam up and down the seas of the West Coast, protecting both the people and the mauri (life force) of Pounamu.

  One day while resting in the warm waters off Tuhua (Mayor Island), he saw a beautiful woman bathing in the sea. Her name was Waitaki. Full of admiration, Poutini snatched her and fled south towards his mainland.

  Waitaiki’s husband, Tamaahua, was a powerful chief. When he realised his wife had been taken, he threw a magical dart in the air. The dart pointed in his wife’s direction, and he paddled after them in an unrelenting pursuit.

  Realising that Tamaahua would not rest until he reclaimed Waitaiki, Poutini decided the only way to keep her forever was to turn the woman into his essence. The taniwha transformed Waitaiki into Pounamu and laid her down within the riverbeds of the Arahura River.

  When the chief discovered his wife turned to stone in the riverbed, he let out a tangi – a tremendous song of grief. If you listen closely in New Zealand’s deep south, you may still hear it echo through the mountains.

  Pounamu jewellery is typically carved into traditional Māori symbols. More than just a beautiful art form, pounamu can represent ancestors, connection with the natural world, or attributes such as strength, prosperity, love, and harmony.

  There are many beliefs surrounding pounamu, of which is that one should not carve or buy for oneself. Just as pounamu was a gift from the land in its natural form, carved greenstone should always be a gift between two people.