Manaia

(See Also: Protector God, and Legendary Chief)

Mythical bird-like person with the head in profile and coming to a point which gives the appearance of a beak. Sometimes the head portion only was used as a separate design to replace the hands and feet of an otherwise normal figure. It was much used in the carved barge boards of canoes and for the door and window lintels of carved buildings. The manaia can mean many things in Maori folklore, but this spritual and mythical creature was and still is regarded as a tribal guardian. Some were grotesque figures while others were almost human, but still with a fierce facial expression. There are three fingers and toes or claws on each limb.