Te matau

Te matau. Fish hook. This is used for fishing. The largest component of te matau is a cylindrical length of te kuano (phosphate) that has been carved and smoothed to form a rabatan te matau (shank). It is a pale yellow in colour and smooth in texture with some transparency when held towards the light. Some areas of white opacity can be seen amongst the transparent material. The top segment has been tapered and angled into a blunt point. A perforation has been drilled through the side where te ao (line) would be inserted and attached. The opposite end features a curled hackle of natural fibre pinnules. The hackle is fibrous and dark yellow in colour. They have been bound to with te nimwaerere (cordage of human hair and coconut sennit fibres). Included is te taban te matau (point) made of metal. It is curved in form and tapers into a sharp point. This matau is from Banaba (Ocean) island in Kiribati.