Hei Matau Inanga

Description

This Hei Matau is carved from Inanga Pounamu, measuring 65mm long. Inanga is prized for its soft silver-green tones and subtle translucency, and this piece carries those qualities with quiet strength. The form balances contrast: tight, defined outer curves give shape and presence, while the inner curve flows smooth and uninterrupted, like a current weaving through still waters.

The Hei Matau symbolises strength, safe passage across water, and prosperity. But it also holds deeper meanings—of navigation, direction, and resilience. In Te Ao Māori, it connects the wearer to Tangaroa, guardian of the ocean, and to the generations who crossed vast seas guided by skill, instinct, and trust in the unseen.

This piece was shaped to honour that spirit of voyaging—not only through the physical world, but through our own internal landscapes. Its movement and form are a reflection of balance: tension and ease, challenge and flow. A taonga for someone charting their own path, anchored in purpose.

Size: 65mm

Material: Inanga Pounamu/Nephrite

Carver: David Curtis