Manaia (mythological creature)

The word manaia is cognate with the founding Samoan term fa'amanaia, and relevant to the Niuean fakamanaia, both meaning to make a decoration or embellishment.

[2] The Manaia is traditionally believed to be the messenger between the earthly world of mortals and the domain of the spirits, and its symbol is used as a guardian against evil.

This form was also widely used in designs of door and window lintels and other architectural features, as well as in ceremonial hafts of weapons.

Related Manaia-like symbols are also found in other Polynesian cultures, such as in Hawaii and Easter Island.

Manaia designs vary subtly in form between iwi, though they are often depicted as three-fingered, with these digits representing the trinity of birth, life, and death.