This bone carving is a beautiful piece of Māori taonga. You can see the mouth and gill slits on the underside of this carving. By selecting the correct bone material and following the contours you get a carving that shows the graceful swimming action of the Ray.
In the Te Whānau-ā-Apanui tribal area, the Whai (stingray) is seen as a kaitiaki (guardian), which protects the areas where shellfish are harvested. It was believed that if people followed the right Tikanga (customary practices), the stingray would ensure there were plenty of shellfish.
