Te matau

Te matau. Fish hook. This is a fish hook made from four material components: te kuano (phosphate), te ri (bone), te ira (human hair) and cordage. Te rabatan te matau (shank) is made from te kuano. It is pale yellow in colour with opaque white linear markings. It is hard in material and portrays some transparency. It is cylindrical in form. One end has been tapered and angled off into a point. A small circular perforation has been drilled through the side. This is for the purpose of inserting te ao (line). In this instance, an off-white cord has been tied through leaving a loose end that has been knotted off. Opposite this end, te rabatan te matau portrays a circular cross-section. Two faint furrows have been filed out across the sides and another perpendicular to the circular cross section. These have been used to position and secure the lashing of discoloured thread. Te tabon te matau (point) has been made of te ri and positioned into the filed furrow that runs perpendicular to the circular cross-section. This has been secured to te matau from the lashing of discoloured white thread. Te tabon te matau is off-white in colour and hard in material. It shows some porous textures and has been carved to portray a slim cone form where the point curves in towards the rabatan te matau. A fine hackle of te ira in dark brown and pale yellow has also been included in the lashing of tabon te matau.