New Zealand Pounamu Toki with Haehae Design

Toki / Adze

All Maori design has an element of magic that can increase the life spirit of the object or person it adorns. So when the toki was lashed to an expertly carved shaft, the life spirit, the mana of the toki, increased. This power is why the chief, the most powerful tribesmen, was the only one allowed to wield it. Today when worn around the neck, the toki is said to represent strength because of this distant association with the tribal chief and increased life force of the toki poutangata.