My trinket and memories from different angles. #14

2 Challenges in One Post

It just so happened that this week my own Trinkets and Memories Challenge worked in beautifully with The Daily Post’s Weekly Photo Challenge. The Daily Post challenged me to take a pictures of a stationary object from 3 different angles. The perfect challenge to go with this weeks “trinket”.

I had so much fun doing this and snapped photos galore, from different angles and on different backgrounds. My “trinket” was like a super model striking pose after pose. My biggest problem was selecting 3 photos. In fact I have to admit I failed! I have decided to be a bush lawyer and take the stand that as this post covers 2 challenges I can submit 2 sets of 3 photos. Hope you can follow my logic!

So without further adieu here is my 14th “trinket” from every angle.

2015 – Pounamu Pendant – Long meaningful relationships and returning home

This weeks “trinket” Is actually a treasure. It has cultural and spiritual meaning to the Maori, the indigenous people of New Zealand and the meaning behind the carving also has great meaning to me.

Pounamu otherwise known as Jade or Greenstone is found on the West Coast of the South Island, my birthplace, my parents’ birthplace and my grandparents’. It’s a place of great natural beauty and a place I always return to.

My pendant was carved by Garth Wilson whose ancestors were from the Ngati Mahaki and Ngate Waewae tribes and were the original traders of Pounamu (jade) on the West Coast of New Zealand. His great, great, great grandfather – Te Koeti Turanga was the last surviving chief. Because Garth has tribal affiliations , he is privileged to have customary rights to fossick for pounamu, as by NZ law all pounamu belongs to Maori. All of Garth’s pieces are carved by him using pounamu found in the West Coast and Fiordland mountains and rivers by him and his whanau ( family).

This connection to the West Coast was very important to me. Garth had many beautiful pieces, each with their own symbolic meaning. I chose the Pikorua or the twist. It represents the paths of life and love. Also the joining of lives in love or friendship for eternity. Though sometimes you will be apart you will always come back together again.

To me it represents home, family and friends. I chose the triple twist because I have 2 sisters and it makes me think of family and the 3 of us. My family are scattered far and wide, I am in Japan, Karen is in the States and Jan is home in New Zealand , yet we do always come back together every year. My oldest friend Susan and I met on on the Coast when we started school as 5 year olds. Over the years we have been apart but we always come back together and I know it is strong and lasting friendship.

Garth’s work is family bound and holds with traditional values. He carved this piece and his wife Jo hand plaited the cord. Jo explained to me the Maori belief that the stone which is porous absorbs your natural body oils and mana. The Maori believe therefore carries a part of you with it. As pounamu lasts for hundreds of years it is tradition to pass it onto someone else, so they will always be carrying a part of you with them. After I purchased my treasure my friend Susan wore my pendant for me and now I carry her with me and often think of her as I wear it

I love that it is West Coast pounamu as nowadays much of the work sold in souvenir shops is made with cheaper Chinese or Canadian jade. I hope if you are ever in NZ and on the Coast, you will drop in and see Garth’s workshop and treasures.

The links in this post are to Garth’s informative homepage.

Yoroshiku Onegai shimasu