He korero whakarapopoto
He kōhatu mārō te pounamu, ka kitea i roto i ngā toka. Ko ngā ingoa a te Pākehā mō te pounamu, ko greenstone, ko New Zealand jade rānei.
Ka manakotia e te Māori te pounamu i te mea:
- he mārō, he ātaahua
- he tohu mana
- he tapu.
Ngā wāhi ka kitea te pounamu
Whāiti ai ngā takotoranga pounamu ki te taiao o Te Wai Pounamu, nā reira tōna mana nui ki te mana whenua ki a Ngāi Tahu. Kei ngā takere me ngā tahatika o ngā awa ngā toka pounamu. Kei a Ngāi Tahu te mana o ngā pounamu katoa i te taiao.
Ngā whao
Ka whakamahia te pounamu kia hanga toki, hanga whao, hanga oka mō te whakairo, mō te tope rākau hoki. I tua atu, ka orohia te pounamu hei matau, hei pākuru, hei tara tao. Ko te hōanga (sandstone) hei orooro i te pounamu.
Taonga whakarei
Ka auahatia e te Māori te whakakai, te whakahei me ngā taonga ka mau ki te ringaringa. Ko te tiki te hei rongonui rawa, ka rite tōna āhua ki tētahi tangata e noho ana me ōna waewae whiri.
He tohu rangatira
Kāhore ngā rākau pounamu mō te riri, mō ngā ringaringa kē o te rangatira, he tohu ki tōna mana. Ko te pounamu mō ngā kawanga me ngā take nui a te iwi, mō te whakapūmau hoki i te tatau pounamu.
He kura te taonga pounamu; ka tapaina he ingoa mōna hei hokinga mahara ki ngā tūpuna me ā rātou kōrero. Ko Te Āwhiorangi te toki a Tāne nāna ngā here a Ranginui me Papatūānuku i tapahi.
Ngā whakairo i ēnei rā
I ēnei rā ko te waka topatopa ka hiki i ngā toka pounamu i te wai. Mā ngā taputapu taimana rawa e tapahi, e orooro i te pounamu hei taonga kahurangi, hei taonga toi.