Oceania
Maori peoples, New Zealand
Fish Hook, Matau
Eighteenth century
Wood, flax, human bone
H. 6 in. (15.2 cm)
Raymond and Laura Wielgus Collection

This hook was not used in fishing itself, but rather served as a charm to improve a man's success; or it may have been used by a priest in ceremonies opening the fishing season or previously restricted waters. The wooden shank was made from a sapling that had been bent and secured while still growing, so that when it was cut it retained that form. The carving at its top may refer to an important ancestor or to Tangaroa, the Maori god of the sea, who was believed to determine fishing success.