New Image of the Week: New Zealand Culture

This week's image is titled 'New Zealand Culture'. Since my return to New Zealand, I thought it was about time I designed an image of my home country's culture. Even though I am not maori, I love their story telling and their amazingly different cultural artwork.

The face is my own version of a maori tiki which is commonly known as a good luck charm. The tiki is also considered a symbol of fertility. Assumed to be clear thinking, perceptive, loyal and knowledgeable, (often worn on a necklace) the wearer's strength is their character. The Tiki is a talisman to the Maori people, and has been regarded as a good luck charm from the ancient times. The Maori believe the Tiki represents the unborn human embryo. The most valuable tikis were carved from greenstone and were handed down through the generations as treasured possessions.

The reason for the pattern in the background is because the maori's were known for making fantastic patterns, sometimes from weaving with flax.

The maoris are legendary for wood carving and so the first image that I have attached above is my version of a wood carved tiki with a traditional coloured (black & red) pattern. Then the next image below it is the same image but I have added a bit of Kalman funk to it.