Pounamu Gifting
I want to gift a colleague and friend earrings when she leaves our workplace (she has been a massive part of inspiring and shaping the culture within our team and the work we do as well as inspiring myself personally). I'm contemplating pounamu.
Her work is heavily involved in Māori culture (including PhD), and she will be leaving to open a bilingual unit at a kura close by.
I feel nervous to do this wrong.
There are some places locally that I could purchase from, however I also have a set that I carved during a course (it was led by a registered Kai Tahu carver at my kids' marae). They've been sitting there for the right person to gift to but I'm wondering if because I am not Māori, nor a carver - this dampens the meaning and would not be culturally/traditionally acceptable.
Help. This wāhine is so amazing and I really want to do her justice.
Perhaps pounamu isn't the right route at all. I've also considered wood and muka