Matau
Description
Two piece wooden and bone hook which the catalogue card states was used for catching albatross. Wooden shank and bone hook with flax fibre lashing. The point of the bone barb is broken. The shank has inner and outer barbs. The 4 outer barbs are intermittent serrations whereas the inner barb is similar to the barbs on bird spears created by Pre-European contact Maori. There is a remnant of twine line at the top of the wooden shank. The shank has 2 (possibly 3, the top spirals may be a face) carved manaia faces on it. The lower face is upside down. Made prior to 1860s, possibly before 1840s. May be stone tooled. Has a reddish brown stain. There are knobs and a groove in the wooden shank to aid coupling bound with muka binding.
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