Some Basic Design Elements & Their Meanings Koru:
The meanings of some elements vary from region to region but all share common roots. Each element has its own specific meaning and the way they are portrayed or combined is what gives a carving its own special character. Most carvings combine elements from several areas of mythology which interact with each other to tell a story. Many of these legends revolve around the spirits or gods who created or protect each part of their world such as the mountains, the forests, the lakes and the creatures of the sea. The Maori have a great respect for nature and have many legends about the creation of the earth and all its inhabitants. Some have inlays of precious stones or colourful shell and all have a story or meaning behind their design.
Pendants, jewelry and various tools such as needles, spear tips and fish hooks made from bone developed into a fine art form with great importance being placed on every piece, many of which took years to make using stone tools. A carving that has been worn by family or tribal members over many generations contains the spirit of all of those people and is truly a great and powerful treasure. In this way it becomes a spiritual link between people spanning time and distance. It is believed that a carving which is worn with respect or given and received with love, takes on part of the spirit of those who wear or handle it.
These artifacts were then handed down through generations of tribal elders and became sacred objects or treasures "Taonga", telling the history of a tribe and taking on the spirits of past great leaders and warriors who had worn them. The pre-European Maori had no written language so tribal history and the stories of the gods were kept using many forms of fine arts and crafts ranging from basket and cloth weaving to complex wood, bone, shell and jade carving. The carvings based on Maori designs in particular have special significance. Every carving has a very special meaning or story behind its design.
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