Whānau Set
I recently finished a special set of taonga for a whānau of four. They wanted something that marked their journey together and their deep connection to Aotearoa, and we decided to carve a matching set of toki from the same piece of stone. Using one stone for all four pieces meant the taonga would always stay connected, no matter where life takes them.
The Pounamu they chose is a deep, rich, forest green serpentine Pounamu from the Tasman area. It has a beautiful, even glow around the edges and a consistent colour that suited the clean, traditional lines of these toki.
The father wanted a smooth, traditional recurved toki, the kind with crisp edges and a functional feel. His piece stands 70mm tall and follows the simple, purposeful form he was drawn to from the start.
For his wife and their two boys, I carved traditional toki shapes with slightly more rounded profiles. Each carries its own symbol on the front, chosen to reflect the qualities the family wanted to acknowledge and celebrate.
The mother’s toki is 75mm tall and features a whale tail carved into the front. This symbol speaks to guidance and leadership, and it carries a sense of calm strength that matched the way her husband described her role within the whānau.
Both boys have toki that are 60mm tall. One has a gecko carved into the front, representing connection to nature, adaptability, and resilience. The other has the head of a manaia carved in, shaped as a bird, representing curiosity and the imaginative, artistic nature of the boy it was made for.
Together, the three carved symbols create a quiet thread between the pieces. Each represents an individual quality, but all sit within the idea of manaia as a guardian and connector, tying the three taonga together while keeping their meanings personal.
Carving a whole set like this from one piece of stone always feels meaningful. The stone has held itself together for a very long time, and now it continues that journey as four separate taonga, each representing a member of the whānau and the path they walk together.
