New Zealand Jade (Pounamu) Pendant Carved From Hand Foraged West Coast Pounamu (Greenstone or Jade)
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The Maori name for New Zealand Jade, or Greenstone, is Pounamu. These pendants are each unique, but are similar shades of green. They have been hand carved from the rare Pounamu stone, which is , This hand carved jade pendant has a beautiful shade of green, with each one very slightly different, depending from which Jade boulder they are carved. These are found hidden in the rugged mountains, rivers and beaches of Westland, New Zealand, areas accessible only by an overnight trek on foot. The traditional adjustable cord is hand woven in a tiny plait and is waxed to make it weather proof. This type of traditionally woven cord represents layers of strength and history, and the importance of living in the moment to the Maori people.
Jade has been endowed with symbolic as well as material significance by many peoples around the world. The meanings which accrued to Jade over the millennia have changed throughout history. In the early periods Jade became associated with the owner's power it was also linked to spiritual power through its use in native ritual. The fascination for Jade is in large part due to the nature of the material, it is glowing and lustrous when polished and is permanent and enduring.
In the legends of the Ngai Tahu tribe of the South Island of New Zealand, the guardian of Pounamu is a Taniwha, or giant water creature named Poutini. His home is in the rough seas off the West Coast of the South Island. Long ago, Poutini used to venture further afield. One day, while resting in the warm waters of the North, he saw a beautiful woman, Waitaiki, bathing in the sea. Poutini fell in love with Waitaiki, so he snatched her and fled to the mainland. Waitaiki's husband, Tama-ahua was a powerful chief and skilled in the rituals of the spirit world. When he realised that his wife had been kidnapped, he threw a magical dart in the air which pointed in the direction Poutini had taken. Tama-ahua paddled after them in hot pursuit.
Reaching the shore, Poutini lit a fire to warm Waitaiki but hearing Tama-ahua approach, they were forced to move on. The chase continued across New Zealand. Each time Poutini stopped he lit a fire to warm his Waitaiki: on the Coromandel Peninsular, Whangamata, Taupo, D’urville Island, Farewell Spit and on the West Coast. The rocks at all these sites, all of them important sources of Jade for the Maori, are still stained by these fires. Fleeing further south Poutini and his captive reached Milford Sound. Weeping with cold and fright, Waitaiki begged him to turn around. So he carried her back up the coast, to the headwaters of the Arahura River. Meanwhile at Milford Sound Tama-ahua found his wife's tears preserved forever in the stone named Tangiwai; he realised that Poutini and Waitaiki had turned back so he tracked them up the coast to the Arahura valley.
That night Tama-ahua rested and prepared for the final showdown. Fearing Tama-ahua's strength and determination, Poutini decided that if he could not have Waitaiki, no-one would. He transformed her into his likeness ‘Pounamu’ and laid her in the cold waters of the river. Then he slipped downstream past the sleeping warrior.
In the morning Tama-ahua set out to do battle with Poutini to reclaim Waitaiki, but his enemy had gone and he found his young wife transformed into stone in the riverbed. His Tangi (song of grief) still sounds throughout the mountains. To the Ngai Tahu tribe, Waitaiki is the mother of Pounamu and the Jade fragments that break from the mother lode and roll down the river to the sea are her children.
Jade has been endowed with symbolic as well as material significance by many peoples around the world. The meanings which accrued to Jade over the millennia have changed throughout history. In the early periods Jade became associated with the owner's power it was also linked to spiritual power through its use in native ritual. The fascination for Jade is in large part due to the nature of the material, it is glowing and lustrous when polished and is permanent and enduring.
In the legends of the Ngai Tahu tribe of the South Island of New Zealand, the guardian of Pounamu is a Taniwha, or giant water creature named Poutini. His home is in the rough seas off the West Coast of the South Island. Long ago, Poutini used to venture further afield. One day, while resting in the warm waters of the North, he saw a beautiful woman, Waitaiki, bathing in the sea. Poutini fell in love with Waitaiki, so he snatched her and fled to the mainland. Waitaiki's husband, Tama-ahua was a powerful chief and skilled in the rituals of the spirit world. When he realised that his wife had been kidnapped, he threw a magical dart in the air which pointed in the direction Poutini had taken. Tama-ahua paddled after them in hot pursuit.
Reaching the shore, Poutini lit a fire to warm Waitaiki but hearing Tama-ahua approach, they were forced to move on. The chase continued across New Zealand. Each time Poutini stopped he lit a fire to warm his Waitaiki: on the Coromandel Peninsular, Whangamata, Taupo, D’urville Island, Farewell Spit and on the West Coast. The rocks at all these sites, all of them important sources of Jade for the Maori, are still stained by these fires. Fleeing further south Poutini and his captive reached Milford Sound. Weeping with cold and fright, Waitaiki begged him to turn around. So he carried her back up the coast, to the headwaters of the Arahura River. Meanwhile at Milford Sound Tama-ahua found his wife's tears preserved forever in the stone named Tangiwai; he realised that Poutini and Waitaiki had turned back so he tracked them up the coast to the Arahura valley.
That night Tama-ahua rested and prepared for the final showdown. Fearing Tama-ahua's strength and determination, Poutini decided that if he could not have Waitaiki, no-one would. He transformed her into his likeness ‘Pounamu’ and laid her in the cold waters of the river. Then he slipped downstream past the sleeping warrior.
In the morning Tama-ahua set out to do battle with Poutini to reclaim Waitaiki, but his enemy had gone and he found his young wife transformed into stone in the riverbed. His Tangi (song of grief) still sounds throughout the mountains. To the Ngai Tahu tribe, Waitaiki is the mother of Pounamu and the Jade fragments that break from the mother lode and roll down the river to the sea are her children.
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