KORU !

Yesterday, I mentioned that the uncurling frond of the ferns outside our window are called koru.. a really important symbol here.
In Maori art, glassware, jewellery and paintings, this iconic symbol is used everywhere; even Air New Zealand use it on their plane tails!



It is used as a symbol of creation, its circular shape representing the idea of perpetual movement, its inward coil suggesting a return to the point of origin.
Robbie Williams has one tattooed on his arm and Beckham is coming to visit New Zealand soon and will no doubt add one to his collection!



The Maori people use the unfolding fern as inspiration for the spiral form, which in all Polynesia is unique to New Zealand,(as are so many things!)
The Maori people take the carving of this spiral form & use it in on many different surfaces, from tattoos to carvings on meeting houses, waka (canoes) and every day objects.



Often the koru pattern is combined in such a way as to make a very complex pattern, such as this tattoo on a Maori warrior. This style of facial tattooing is becoming more popular among the Maori and we have seen several men with these and some women with a moko.



In fact a Maori tattoo can be quite frightening; imagine a rugby squad with faces and expressions like this, doing the haka - you can see why they are so intimidating and why we lost! You can also see the koru in use in the design! At the moment Maori make up only 14% of the population here.