This premium 100% cotton tee is a wearable vessel of ancestral power, featuring the sacred Toki (adze) and a formidable Karakia (ritual chant) of strength. It represents the transition from the physical to the spiritual, invoking the warrior spirit of Whiro and the mandate of resilience: Kia Kaha.
The graphic features two crossed Toki, the foundational tool of Māori material culture. In traditional society, the Toki shaped the great waka (canoes) and whare (houses), while also serving as a devastating weapon in the hands of a skilled Toa (Warrior). Central to this design is the Karakia, a ritual chant that imbues the adze with the primal power of Whiro the demon, traditionally recited to grant the weapon the ability to echo throughout the universe.
The final command—"Kia Kaha, Kia Māia, Kia Manawanui" (Be Strong, Be Brave, Be Steadfast)—transforms this T-Shirt into a modern cloak of protection and a daily motivator for personal perseverance. Crafted for a structured, heavyweight fit, this tee maintains its shape and cultural authority, bridging ancient Māori mysticism with contemporary streetwear.
The Karakia
Haruru tenei toki
Ngahoa tenei toki
Hei pao i to uru, tenei toki,
He pao i te rori.
Tena toki ka haruru,
Tena toki ka ngatoro te ao
Ko te toki o Whiro te tupua,
Manawa ko koe,
Kia Kaha.
Let this axe roar,
This is the axe that will split heads,
Bite into skulls,
this axe Will eat your brains,
This axe will roar,
This axe will echo round the universe,
For it is the axe of Whiro the demon,
Power to you, Be strong.
The chant invokes the ancestral power of the adze, giving it the formidable strength of Whiro (a figure of primal, ancestral power).
Size guide
| |
LENGTH (cm) |
WIDTH (cm) |
SLEEVE LENGTH (cm) |
| S |
71.1 |
45.7 |
39.7 |
| M |
73.7 |
50.8 |
43.2 |
| L |
76.2 |
55.9 |
47 |
| XL |
78.7 |
61 |
50.8 |
| 2XL |
81.3 |
66 |
54.6 |
| 3XL |
83.8 |
71.1 |
58 |
| 4XL |
86.4 |
76.2 |
61.5 |
| 5XL |
89 |
81.3 |
64.3 |
