Taonga - Souvenirs

Taonga - Souvenirs 

Within native tribes throughout the world, a young boy would be made to stay at the village and watch the older boys and men go out on hunts to source food to sustain the tribe - these older boys and men were his idols, and everything he wanted to be - providers.

Whilst remaining in his village, at a certain age this young boy would begin learning the fundamentals of hunting, strategy, and all aspects of the natural environment, such as weather and tracking.

Once of age, he would be allowed to accompany the hunting party, in a bid to take his first kill and show his ability to sustain his people.

On completion, the boy could now be considered a man as he now had the ability to serve.

Rites of Passage 

Somewhere along the way of man's evolution here in New Zealand, this was lost, and young boys throughout the land seen the older siblings being considered men once they simply reached the age of 18 and then 21 - with the celebration being one filled with bad food and alcohol. 

How does simply reaching a certain age render you with the ability to shelter and protect others?

These were now his idols, and this type of behaviour was now considered a type of aspiration. We don't agree with how this has changed and become normal, and are on a crusade to commemorate adulthood as we believe it should be, something earned through hard work and forethought filled with the ability to care for others, and then through imparting learned knowledge and chiefly examples to the next generation.

One way we like to do that is by observing our adventure together, we can create a taonga (treasure, prized possession or souvenir) for you made from parts of the animal we have hunted together.

This isn't at all about the hunt, but more the bonding you create with a loved one, the skills you learn, or already have that have been used to sustain your family, and as a reminder of the benefits of hard work and perseverance.

The design is left up to the imagination and wairua (spirituality) of the moment to decide.

Each taonga is unique and able to be displayed and talked about for many moons to come.

To design and make your unique taonga, and then have it shipped to you, will take 4-6 weeks and at only $350 it could be something you see great value in for you and your whānau, especially if it's to mark a special 'coming of age' or 'rites of passage' moment in time like:

* your child starting school - either primary, intermediate, secondary, tertiary, or a whare wānanga

* a significant anniversary

* your son's voice breaking in his teens (this signifies to us as Māori that the boy is no longer, and the coming of the man is now upon him)

* your daughter's first awa atua (godly river) or menstrual cycle, (as Māori, this tells us that her time as a girl is now over, and that she is now becoming a young woman)

* a reunion or union of some sort

* the celebration of something special achieved such as making a representative team, or graduating

The choice is yours and we would love to help create this experience with you.