Fishhook Blank

Large pearl shell. One edge has been cut; the curved upper edge has chips present. The shell would have been used for making fishhooks.

Hawaiian fishing hooks (mākau) were implements that varied in their forms, sizes, materials, and methods of use. Each hook would be made to support specific techniques such as angling, trolling, deep-sea fishing, squidding, eel fishing, and shark fishing, with some methods employing multiple hooks on a single line and others relying on specialized, species-specific designs. Hawaiian hooks can be broadly classified into simple hooks, fashioned from a single material such as pearl shell, bone, turtle shell, ivory, or occasionally wood, and composite hooks constructed from two or more components joined by lashings. Composite forms include the bonito trolling hook (pā uhi or pā hi aku), which combined a pearl shell shank and bone point, as well as large shark hooks (mākau mano) made with wooden shanks and bone points.