What does Koru mean?
The best known and widely used Maori art
motifs are the koru and the spiral. The koru is basically a stalk
with a bulb at one end. No one knows how it was first invented or
who elaborated this versatile element of pattern. Koru-like motifs
are present in the arts of ancient Asia, notably in the areas of
Southern China and South-east Asia. They abound in the tribal arts
of Melanesia. The Maori koru probably had its origins in such regions
and was carried to New Zealand by the Maori ancestors.
The word koru is defined in Williams Dictionary
of the Maori Language as an adjective meaning 'folded, coiled, looped'.
As a noun, the word means 'a bulbed motif or scroll painting' A
popular explanation of the koru is that it represents the unfolding
of a tree fern frond, as seen in the uncurling corm with its rolled-up
inner leaflets. The koru also resembles a curling wave.
Symbolically the koru means new beginnings,
harmony, growth and life.
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