03/08/2026
Before it was adornment, it was absolute sovereignty.
Long before it became an adornment, pounamu was the breath and backbone of our ancestors. From the 1300s, it was the ultimate functional luxuryâthe high-tech engine of our iwi.
The architecture of power.
Between the 1300s and 1500s, pounamu was the engine of iwi society. Crafted into dense toki (adze blades), these high-grade tools were used by rangatira to fell massive tĹtara for waka taua (war canoes) and construct fortified pÄ.
It was raw utility engineered for tribal growth, establishing the physical boundaries of our rangatiratanga.
By the 1600s, pounamu shifted into an era of warfare and prestige. Rangatira carried the mere pounamuâa devastating close-combat weapon and the ultimate status symbol of authority.
Each heirloom weapon was individually named, chronicling the specific victories, alliances, and history of the iwi.
Through the late 1800s and 1900s, as warfare ceased, pounamu entered a period of quiet resistance. To protect ancestral heirlooms from colonial confiscation, the rangatira hid or passed down their most valuable pieces in absolute secrecy.
These taonga emerged for moments of profound cultural importance, guarded fiercely to be worn at major hui (gatherings) and tangihanga (funerals). They became a silent, enduring statement of identity and survival, keeping our history safe for the generations to come.
Discover the Full Collection in store or
via the link in bio.
