Octopus Hook Sinker

An oval squid or octopus sinker (pōhaku lūhe‘e) made of coral. The sinker has a flat base, a rounded top with a longitudinal groove over the top and along the ends.

Sinkers were essential implements used with nets, fishing lines, and lures to control depth, stability, and movement when fishing. There is a wide variety of forms, including grooved, perforated, bread-loaf, and plummet types. Grooved sinkers are the most common; they typically have longitudinal or transverse grooves for lashing to lines or nets. Bread-loaf forms were commonly associated with dip nets for uhu (parrotfish), and plummet sinkers (pōhaku ʻalōʻa) were designed for deep-sea fishing with a constricted neck for line attachment.

In squid (heʻe) fishing, stone sinkers (pōhaku lūheʻe ) formed part of composite lures incorporating cowrie shells, wooden stems, hooks, cords, and ti leaves, where the carefully selected stone provided balance and motion to enhance visual attraction.