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Te matau

human history
  • Other Name

    Fish hook (English)

  • Description

    Te matau. Fish hook. This is a fish hook made from four material components: te kuano (phosphate), te ri (bone), thread and natural fibres. Te rabatan te matau (shank) is made from te kuano. It is pale yellow in colour, 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 would be for the purpose of inserting te ao (line).

    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 thread. Te tabon te matau is off-white in colour with some pale brown residue. 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 short hackle of fibrous strands that are pale yellow in colour has also been included in the lashing of tabon te matau.

  • Place
  • Accession Number
    1936.295
  • Accession Date
    1936
  • Other Id

    23537.5 (ethnology)

  • Department
Te matau; 1936.295; 23537.5; Cultural Permissions Apply

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