Powerful Manaia Toi Whakairo Sculpture Maori New Zealand Polynesia

HAND CARVED FROM ONE PIECE OF WOOD. A Superb Double Sided Toi Whakairo (Art Sculpture) In Manaia Form.

Whakairo In Maori Meaning Carving Is A Traditional Art Of Carving And This Piece Is In Wood. The Manaia Is Said To Be The Messenger Between The Earthly World Of Mortals And The Domain Of Spirits And Therefore This Sculpture Is Said To Be A Holder Of Great Spiritual Energy And A Protector From Evil. Manaia Are Traditionally Depicted With. The Head Of A Bird, The Body Of A Man And The Tail Of A Fish Representing Open Sky, Earth And Sea And The Balance Between Them - The Head of A Bird Seen Here With Beak Open - The Body Of A Man Seen Here Connecting The Head To Beak. Evidence of use and cracks due to age or drying.

TribeArts are specialist suppliers of African Tribal Art. I was born and raised in Nigeria following my father's posting in the forties. My family went on to live in Ethiopia, Kenya and Tanzania visiting many other African countries and over this period collected many tribal arts. My interest in African art was kindled in Nigeria whilst growing up in Ibadan, the largest city in Nigeria 100 miles north of Lagos. Not far away was the Benin Kingdom famous for its stunning art, most notably bronzes dating back to the 15th century.

I was fascinated by the wood carving practice of making virtually all objects from figures to furniture from a single piece of wood, which I later understood to be the unifying element in African art south of the Sahara. Time spent as a child in the company of Africans led to a healthy respect for the local traditions, stories and superstitions. African tribal art featured in all aspects of daily life, Fetish figures and Juju objects had a profound effect when encountered as protective talismans as did the dance of the masked masqueraders.

There were textiles and furniture in the house and the Taureg security guards carried traditional weapons. This early fascination with the complex cultural and economical essence of African creativity led to a lifetime of collecting African art that, in turn, has resulted in the desire to share this passion through trading in tribal art.

TribeArts provides a glimpse into Africa's enormous creative traditions in tribal artworks and offers many unusual and exciting quality artifacts such as figures, masks, furniture, textiles, weapons, bronzes and accessories that are accessible to all collectors. These artifacts are reffered to by tribe to appreciate the unique essence of ethnic group traditions, not to detract from the artisitic integrity of each individual piece. Further afield could take up to two weeks or longer.

The item "Powerful Manaia Toi Whakairo Sculpture Maori New Zealand Polynesia" is in sale since Monday, April 22, 2019. This item is in the category "Collectables\Postcards\Topographical\ Rest of World\Oceania/ Australasia".

The seller is "tribaltony" and is located in Bedale. This item can be shipped to North, South, or Latin America, all countries in Europe, all countries in continental Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Egypt, Reunion, South africa.

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