Rabatan te matau. Shank of a fish hook. Cut from te bwaeao (mother of pearl shell) in a narrow strip that is spatulate in shape. The rabatan (shank) is intended to be used within a composite fish hook for trolling and would have had a point lashed to the tapered end. The broad end of the rabatan has two drilled holes, stacked one above the other, that would have been used to attach a snood and/or a te ao (fishing line) to the hook. The tapered end has serrated edges, which would have been used to secure the lashing for the point of the matau (fish hook). The rabatan is off-white in colour with a high sheen. It is smooth surfaced with some abrasions and dark markings. Apart from the tapered end, the edges have been ground down smooth and are rougly polished. There is a small, central black furrow on the inner surface of the shell at the tapered end of the shank.