This tattoo mixes some elements from the Maori culture and others from the western one. The te manaia used as the main subject, with the head of a bird, body of a man and tail of a fish (but manaia, literally, is the seahorse), is a guardian angel to Maori people, and that´s why we added to him the angel wings from the western culture. The te manaia, and the tiki placed at the wings base are meant to protect the family, represented by the two turtles at heart level, and eternal love as it is symbolized by the twist inside the wing. The stylized fish hook means prosperity, and the various stylized korus symbolize the continuity of life in family.

Requested by Owie.

A curiosity: the three fingers of the te manaia symbolize air, earth and water.