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The patterns which make up the main kowhaiwhai designs are broken up into sub branches representing many areas of creation. These areas are part of a single unit where millions of different species are born out of nature’s genetic code. The genetic code is referred to by the old Māori as whakapapa and the gene is the kākano or seed where every plant, animal, vegetable and mineral originates from. From one of these branches stems humanity.

So in essence, according to the sacred scrolls, everything is created primarily from the one source. This source is Mauri life force and when that form can no longer sustain life, the Mauri simply departs and returns back to where it came from. The death of one form gives life to another. This is the cycle of life, the cyclic rhythm and pattern of nature. This is what sustains the natural balance of the universe.

He Kākano i ruia mai no Rangi Atea.
A seed that was planted long ago in Rangi Atea.