Te kaneati

Te kaneati. Fish hook of mother of pearl. This is a composite trolling hook made from te bwaeo (mother of pearl shell), te rii (bone), te ira n atu (hair), off-white thread and wire. A large shank has been cut from the hinge part of te bwaeo. It is long and concave in form. The depth of the shell's hinge can be seen across the centre of te rabatan te matau (shank). It is off-white in colour with some transparency and shimmer. Its flat side shows some porous remains from te bwaeo. One end has been tapered into a point where a small perforation has been drilled into the side. A small line of wire has been inserted through the perforation to form a twisted loop. Some corrosion covers the wire material. The opposite end of te rabatan te matau features a carved, winged node where thread has been used to lash a lock of te ira n atu. Te ira atu is dark brown in colour with some curl to it. In addition to this, tabon te matau (point) of te rii has been lashed to te rabatan te matau. A perforation has also been made at the base end of tabon te matau where the thread has been inserted.