Framed Tiki Wheku and Manaia - Horizontal

This piece of Maori art features contemporary takes on the traditiona Tiki, The Wheku and the Manaia.

Tiki - The origins of Tiki are uncertain but throughout Maoridom he is acknowledged as the first man and that he came from the stars. He is sometimes depicted as an amphibious person with large fishlike eyes and webbed feet.

The Wheku as found at the apex of the gable of the front of a large carved house, symbolises an important ancestor after whom the house was named. The house itself represents his body. The sloping barge-boards being his arms (maihi), the rafters (heke) being his ribs and the inside being his stomach or bosom (poho).

The Manaia is the guardian spirit (a supernatural being) and it plays an important role in the Maori world. To the Maori every person on Earth has a Guardian spirit which can be described as an unseen light surrounding each individual.

Each of the figures is crafted from gaboon using laser technology. Each piece boasts super fine detail, paua inlay and is mounted on a background inside a custom glass covered shadow box horizontal frame. Each piece is crafted by the artist, Mike Carlton and comes complete with wall mount and related story to back.

size: 283mm (11 1/8 inches) wide x 163mm (6 7/16 inches) tall x 27mm (1 inches) deep

Mike Carlton

Mike Carlton is of Ngati Whakaue descent (Te Arawa sub-tribe) with affiliations to the Hinemoa Point Marae in Rotorua, New Zealand.