Porotaka hei matau - a traditional Māori tool?: Tuhinga 20

Tuhinga 20: 15 - 21

ABSTRACT:  Distinctive greenstone artefacts catalogued in museum collections as ‘hei matau’ (stylised fishhooks) were manufactured by pre-European Māori. However, some of these taonga lack characteristics found on matau and are not hei matau. They possibly represent artefacts in their own right, kept and worn as hei kakï (pendants worn around the neck) when no longer used after their function was replaced by European metal tools. 

KEYWORDS: Pre-European Māori fishing, hei matau, stylised fishhooks, pendants, curio trading, New Zealand.