The Art of Maori Bone Carving

On Saturday Alexis and I visited the Bone Dude to learn Maori bone carving.  We picked out our designs, got a quick starter tutorial, and started filing away at a little chunk of bone.  Once we had gotten it down to the right shape, we rounded the edges, then the Bone Dude helped with the finer detail.

We sanded the carving down with finer and finer sandpaper until it was smooth all around.  Then it was polished and we were done!  It was definitely enjoyable to make and the bone was pretty nice to work with, though I got a bit of a tickle in my throat from the bone dust while we were filing!

There's a lot of symbolism in Maori carving.  My design has a little bit of a fish hook, which is a sign of prosperity.  The Koru, or curl, is modeled after an unfurling fern frond, and it symbolizes new life or rebirth.  There are plenty of other symbols as well.  A whale tale symbolizes strength or protection, and a dolphin represents friendship.  A twisted design indicates eternity, and a double or triple twist is two people growing together in love or friendship.

It was definitely a little different from my soap carving last January, but I really enjoyed bone carving and wouldn't mind doing it again some time!