Kaitiaki o Whanau

This is a set that I was honored to be asked to make, to be able to contribute to this whanau journey in a small way means a lot to me.

This is a set for a Mother and her two young boys. The way she put it got straight to the core of why I carve.

“I am after a set that tells a story of each of us carrying one another throughout our journey, healing and new beginnings, and although our family is split into two at the moment the piece’s will spiritually connect us as one, no matter where we are.”

Carving a set of pounamu from the same slice holds so much inherent value for connectedness. Knowing that you pieces had been literally connected (and for a very long time) to the other pieces that your special people now where is significant.

This is for the youngest who is dealing with a pretty significant health journey, which as always has a wider impact on the whanau. The smallest koru is for him, the middle koru on the side is for his older brother, and the largest at the bottom is for his Mum. The koru are arranged this way to show that his brother and Mum are there to support him.

This one is for the older brother. It shows the two boys below with his Mum watching over them. With all the korus meeting in the middle to represent that they are all in this together.

This is for Mum. She is the big koru that curls around the bottom to hold up her boys. She will always be there to support and nurture and care for her tamariki. This is what this represents.

It is cool to be able to see a set of pendants come into their final shape. It takes time and patience and planning. What they were, will forever be altered as the transition into their new identity and with that their new purpose. It is a special process.