Octopus Hook Sinker

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

Stone 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.