Māori Fish Hooks: Art, Technology and Identity mong the most technically sophisticated and culturally significant artefacts produced by Māori craftspeople are the fish hooks known as matau. Created in a variety of forms and materials, matau were essential tools in the fishing economy of pre-European New Zealand, where the sea, rivers, and lakes provided a primary source of protein for coastal and inland communities alike. More than functional implements, however, matau carried deep cultural significance: they were associated with the atua (deity) Māui, the legendary fisherman credited in tradition with raising the North Island of New Zealand from the ocean floor using a hook fashioned from the jawbone of his ancestor. The diversity of matau forms reflects the diversity of the environments and species targeted by Māori fishers. Rotating hooks, designed to spin in the water and attract fish through movement, were used for species such as barracouta and kahawai in open water. Trolling hooks, towed behind a moving canoe, were effective for larger pelagic species. Bottom-set hooks, designed to lie on the seafloor and catch demersal species such as snapper and grouper, used different geometries and were typically weighted with stone sinkers. The size, shape, curve, and point geometry of a hook were calibrated with considerable precision to the target species, fishing conditions, and available bait. The materials used to make matau were drawn from the natural resources of the New Zealand environment. The most highly prized hooks were carved from bone — whale, human, and moa bone were all used — which offered an excellent combination of strength, workability, and ability to be polished to a surface that reflected light attractively in the water. Shells, particularly the haliotis (pāua) and several species of mussel and cockle, were also widely used. Wood was employed for composite hooks in which a wooden shank was combined with a bone or shell point. In post-European contact, metal hooks rapidly displaced traditional materials, though traditional forms continued to be made for ceremonial and prestige purposes. The craft knowledge required to produce matau of high quality was substantial and was transmitted through apprenticeship within families and communities of specialists. The tools used included adzes, chisels, and abrasive stones for shaping and finishing. The drilling of small holes — required for attaching lashing and decorative elements — was particularly challenging and was achieved using either a hand drill or, for hard materials, a bow drill. Some matau were elaborately decorated with incised geometric patterns, carved figures, and lashing of plaited flax or fine cord. The most prestigious
examples were regarded as taonga — treasured heirlooms — and were associated with the mana (prestige and spiritual power) of their owners. The study of matau has contributed significantly to archaeological understanding of Māori settlement patterns and trade networks. Analysis of the raw materials used in hook manufacture — conducted using techniques including X-ray fluorescence and stable isotope analysis to identify the geological sources of bone and stone — has revealed patterns of long-distance material exchange that challenge earlier assumptions about the geographical reach of pre-European Māori trade. Hooks made from materials originating hundreds of kilometres from the site of their discovery indicate that fishing communities were embedded in exchange networks of considerable geographic extent. Today, matau retain cultural significance in Māori communities as symbols of the relationship between people and the sea, and as connections to ancestral knowledge and identity. Contemporary Māori carvers produce matau in both traditional and innovative forms, and the wearing of a matau as a personal ornament has become a widely recognised symbol of New Zealand identity more broadly, worn by Māori and non-Māori New Zealanders as a statement of connection to the land and sea of their home.