Te rabatan te matau

human history

Te rabatan te matau. Shank. Made from te bwaeo (mother of pearl shell) and cut from the hinged area. This one part of te matau (fish hook) otherwise referred to as te kaneati (fish hook of mother of pearl). It has been cut into a length with a short width. The depth of te bwaeo can be seen from the sides and the way in which the hinge is raised. A small circular perforation has been drilled into the side of the hinge segment where it has been filed and tapered into a short point. Opposite, where te rabatan te matau becomes more flat in depth, two curved nodes have been filed out and then finished with a centre furrow. This is where tabon te matau (point) would be lashed to with some kind of cord, in most cases the use of kora (coconut sennit fibre cordage). Te bwaeo is off-white in colour with some shimmer on both sides. Some transparency and porous remains can be seen along the exterior with some brown burnishing upon the node end.

Accession number: 1936.295 Last Update: 30 Nov 2018
Other Name

Fish lure shank (English)

Accession Number

1936.295

Accession Date

1936

Other Id

23925.3 (ethnology)

Department

Pacific

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Te rabatan te matau; 1936.295; 23925.3; Cultural Permissions Apply Cultural Permissions Apply
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