A unique Māori fishhook: rediscovery of another Cook voyage artefact: Tuhinga 23

Tuhinga 23: 9-15

ABSTRACT: Examination of Maori fishhooks known to have been collected during Captain Cook’s voyages of exploration (1768-79) suggests that ornately carved examples were extremely rare pre-European contact. One uniquely carved hook, held in the National Museum of Ireland, can be confirmed as a Cook voyage artefact through an illustration in an unpublished early nineteenth-century portfolio by Kenelm H. Digby, held in the New South Wales State Library, Sydney, Australia.

KEYWORDS: Matau, Maori fishhooks, pre-European, carving, Cook voyage artefact.