Whanaungatanga

This is a sculpture I made for a friend of mine to give to her midwife as a sign of gratitude and appreciation for her going above and beyond in helping with the birth of their first child.

This is the first koru I have made and the combination of stone on wood was new too.  It was great to be challenged by her ideas in what she wanted.

The Lashing

The top two lashings represent the Mother and Father holding up the child.  The bottom lashing is to show the support of the midwife in bringing this life into the world.

 The Wood

The upright piece is of Totara.  It is a piece taken from the root structure of a tree in the Tongariro Forest in Central North Island.  It shows off its deep red shade in that is characteristic of the heartwood of many Totara.  It is the primary wood that is used by Maori for carving.

The base is Ancient Swamp Kauri has been found in several locations in the top of the North Island.  This piece was part of a tree recovered from a swamp in a farm at Kaiaua near the Firth of Thames.  Swamp Kauri has been dated as 10,000 to 50,000 year old forests that were felled through natural events and then preserved under water and earth before they could decompose.  This happens in several places around the world and New Zealand is the only place that kauri can be found.  So yes this wood is over 10,000 years old.