Fish Hook

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Culture Māori

Title Fish Hook (Matau)

Date 18th century

Medium Wood, flax, and and human bone

Dimensions Object: 6 7/8 × 4 15/16 × 2 3/4 in. (17.5 × 12.5 × 7 cm)
Overall (includes mount): 7 1/4 × 5 5/8 × 3 1/2 in. (18.4 × 14.3 × 8.9 cm)

Credit Line Raymond and Laura Wielgus Collection, Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University

Accession Number 2010.20

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About this Work

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 Māori god of the sea, who was believed to determine fishing success.

Provenance
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Provenance research is ongoing for this and many other items in the Eskenazi Museum of Art permanent collection. For more information about the provenance of this artwork, please contact the department curator with specific questions.

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"Fish Hook | Collections Online." Collections Online. Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University, 2025. https://artmuseum.indiana.edu/collections-online/browse/object.php?number=2010.20