Te matau

human history

Te matau. Wooden fish hook. This large fish hook is made from a single piece of wood and would have been used for trolling during the day time and for catching sharks. The hook is made from a small branch or piece of wood that had a natural curve in its shape. It would have been further fashioned and carved to include a barb on its pointed tip as well as a protruding knob at the top to help position te kora (coconut sennit cord) binding that would have attached the hook to a te ao (fishing line). The wood is dark brown in colour and speckled with lighter patches of brown and white markings. Its surface is smooth for the most part but features some cracks along its length its length and small cavities either side of the curve of the hook.

Accession number: 1940.3 Last Update: 5 Dec 2018
Other Name

Fish hook (English)

Accession Number

1940.3

Accession Date

1940

Other Id

25161 (ethnology)

Department

Pacific

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Te matau, 1940.3, 25161, Photographed by Daan Hoffmann, digital, 27 Nov 2018, Cultural Permissions Apply Cultural Permissions Apply
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