Maori jewellery?

Question

Why do white New Zealand guys wear maori jewellery? If they do wear it why would that be? Just curious as I've never seen a white kiwi guy wear the bone carving only the maori.

Also what does the meaning of the necklaces mean?

Answer 1

cos they are wanabees lol in nz we are bunch of PC idiots who dont wanna offend any body by telling them what we really think and the truth half of the "bone carvings" and "greenstone" is fake and not even from nz most of its just a load of S***e just like half the maori "Culture"

Answer 2

I dont think it matters what color a person is who wears them. A lot of people buy them cause they just like them, some people like them to have  a meaning behind them.

The same goes for Green Stone, even tho, i did hear that you shouldn't buy Green Stone for yourself, you should be gifted it...how true that is, i dont know.

We bought a French friend of ours, who was returning to France the Koru.

Check this out...

http://www.boneart.co.nz/meanings.htm

Answer 3

The last full maori died years ago

Answer 4

Kia ora Susan. Traditionally maori jewellery are taonga and are given as gifts or koha, they are not to be bought for ones self. The main two necklaces would be the Hei Matau which is a symbol of Mana - Strength, and the Manaia is believed to protect you from harm. Alot of the old traditions have been lost, the taonga are sold in bulk, and we buy them at the markets, and quite often the taonga haven't been blessed.

A lot of Pakeha Men and Woman do wear maori taonga/jewellery and they do know the significance and the meaning of what they are wearing. We buy taonga from whanau, and we gift them to our manuhiri/visitors, we explain to them the meaning of the taonga, who blessed it, and why we give them the taonga. Personally,  (I don't speak on behalf of all maori)  I think it's awesome, you're wearing something from my culture.

Noho ora mai ra  

Naku noa, Silver

Answer 5

a lot of them mean safe travel, and they  are a connection to home.

Answer 6

Any coloured people can wear the maori jewellery (korus). Anyway if a man looks white to you it does not mean exactly that they're not maori (they could be part maori from their ancestors). Maori jewellery can mean many things but if you respect or originate from the Maori culture it does not matter if you are not exactly full-maori. It is symbol of respect of culture and beliefs.

Answer 7

well anyone can wear the maori jewellery, going from the head bands too the necklaces they are for anyone too wear, alot of people like too wear them because it is part of nzs history.

but there is also a different side too the jewellery, they may be presented within the maori community too one another with what is called a blessing, the jewellery handed over may be blessed by some family member or something, with a prayer at some ceremony or something, and it may become sacred too that person.

my older sister for her 18 birthday my dads family had like this blessing and they gave her a green stone necklace, it was blessed and all, anyways we had visitors over and they wanted too look at it, they picked it up and it just cracked in their hand. it was quite sad actually, but my dads family put some kind of blessing on it.