Design Story
This tattoo mixes some elements from the Maori culture and others from the western one. The manaia used as the main subject, with the head of a bird, body of a man, and tail of a fish (but manaia is also the seahorse), is a guardian angel to Maori people, and that's why we added angel wings to him, derived from western culture.
The manaia and the tiki placed at the base of the wings are meant to protect the family, represented by the two turtles at heart level.
Eternal love is symbolized by the twist inside the wing.
The stylized fish hook represents prosperity, and the stylized koru symbolize the continuity of life in the family.
Requested by Owie.
A curiosity: the three fingers of the manaia symbolize air, earth and water.
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