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Pounamu refers to several types of hard, durable and highly valued nephrite jade, bowenite, or serpentinite stone found in southern New Zealand. Pounamu is the Māori name. These rocks are also generically known as "greenstone" in New Zealand English. There are two systems for classifying pounamu. Geologically, the rock falls into the three categories named above, but Māori classify pounamu by appearance. The main classifications are ''kawakawa'', ''kahurangi'', ''īnanga'', and ''tangiwai''. The first three are nephrite jade, while ''tangiwai'' is a form of bowenite. *Īnanga pounamu takes its name from a native freshwater fish (''Galaxias maculatus'') and is pearly-white or grey-green in colour and varies from translucent to opaque. *Kahurangi pounamu is highly translucent and has a vivid shade of green. It is named after the clearness of the sky and is the rarest variety of pounamu. *Kawakawa pounamu comes in many shades, often with flecks or inclusions, and is named after the leaves of the native kawakawa tree (''Macropiper excelsum''). It is the most common variety of pounamu. *Tangiwai pounamu is clear like glass but in a wide range of shades. The name comes from the word for the tears that come from great sorrow. In modern usage ''pounamu'' almost always refers to nephrite jade. Pounamu is generally found in rivers in specific parts of the South Island as nondescript boulders and stones. These are difficult to identify as pounamu without cutting them open. ==Significance to Māori== Pounamu plays a very important role in Māori culture. It is considered a ''taonga'' (treasure). Pounamu taonga increase in mana (prestige) as they pass from one generation to another. The most prized taonga are those with known histories going back many generations. These are believed to have their own ''mana'' and were often given as gifts to seal important agreements. Pounamu taonga include tools such as chisels (whao) and adzes (toki), fishing hooks and lures, and bird leg rings (kākā poria); weapons such as mere (short handled clubs); and ornaments such as pendants (hei-tiki, hei matau and pekapeka), ear pendants, and cloak pins. It is found only in the South Island of New Zealand, known in Māori as ''Te Wai Pounamu'' ("The (of ) Greenstone Water") or ''Te Wahi Pounamu'' ("The Place of Greenstone"). In 1997 the Crown handed back the ownership of all naturally occurring pounamu to the South Island tribe Ngāi Tahu,〔"(Pounamu Management Plan )", Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu〕〔"(Ngāi Tahu and pounamu )", Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand〕 as part of the Ngai Tahu Claims Settlement. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Pounamu」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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