Oceania

Te Manaia

Guardian angel |September 19, 2008
by: GiErre

Design Story

Maoris believe the Te Manaia to be a creature with bird´s head, human body and fish tail, and it represents a guardian angel. When the hand is drawn with three fingers, they indicate the balance between sky, earth and sea. It´s a symbol of protection, and the gecko we placed inside its body is a magical creature, which is told to keep deseases away from the house they live in. The shark´s teeth motif stands for strength.

We inserted a G letter inside the manaia, as requested by Patrizia.

Symbols/Meanings included:


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