Pounamu is considered by Maori to be a Taonga or treasure; it has huge spiritual and technological importance to Maori. It was valuable material to the Maori, for it could be fashioned into usable tools. It was treasured for its hardness, its beauty and significance on many cultural levels.
In Maori, "wai" can mean water, juice, or liquid.
Tamaki Makaurau.
whetū mārama
Ehu is slang for a local girl with reddish brown hair. And it is actually Hawaiian not Maori! :)
place of gathering...
Maori used greenstone, also known as pounamu, for ceremonial and ornamental purposes. They crafted tools, weapons, and jewelry out of greenstone. It held significant cultural and spiritual value for the Maori people.
Pounamu
Greenstone is called Pounamu in Maori. It is a type of green nephrite jade that holds significant cultural and spiritual importance to the Maori people of New Zealand.
Greenstone ( Pounamu ) is greatly prized and revered by Maori. Objects made from it are deemed Taonga ( treasures ) and are considered to have Wairua ( spirit ).
Generally speaking, Greenstone = Pounamu But...... Finest Greenstone = Kairangi Pale Greenstone = Auhunga Semi-Transparetn Greenstone = Tongarewa Speckeld Greenstone = Kutukutu Streaked Greenstone = Tōtōeka Transparent Greenstone = Tangiwai Whitish Greenstone = Inanga
pounamu (maori) and jade
Green. It's the Maori word for greenstone.
iugerguer9 the maori used wood, animal bones and greenstone to make their weapons. \
Greenstone.
'Pounamu' is the correct term for what is often called 'greenstone'.
The Maori name for the South Island in New Zealand is Te Waipounamu, which translates to "the waters of greenstone."
The Maori people typically mined greenstone by using simple tools like sharp stones or bones to extract the stone from riverbeds or cliffs. They would then shape the greenstone into tools, weapons, or jewelry using techniques such as abrasion, grinding, and polishing. This tradition of greenstone carving has been passed down through generations and remains an important cultural practice for Maori artisans today.