Fishhook - Admiralty Islands, Bismarck Archipelago, Papua New Guinea - Late 19th Century

Fishhook
Admiralty Islands, Bismarck Archipelago, Papua New Guinea
Late 19th - early 20th century
Wood, mother-of-pearl, natural resin and plant fibres
H.: 35.2 ; W.: 9.2 cm

Wooden shaft with a notch at the top and a large beard of mother-of-pearl shell, held together with natural resin or gum called parinarium gum.

According to Ulrich Menter, Senior Curator of the Oceania Department at the Linden Museum in Stuttgart: "The use of these large hooks is controversial in the literature. It is said that they were used to catch sharks, but also to harvest fruit. They have also been described as suspension hooks. It is probably not implausible that hooks like this could have been used in very different ways."

Bibliography: A similar specimen is preserved in the British Museum in London under number Oc1944,02.632 and another in the Linden Museum in Stuttgart under number 013368. Two similar specimens are reproduced in the book Fish Hooks of the Pacific Islands by Daniel Blau and Klaus Maaz, plate 12, page 81.

Ref.: 5526

Text and photos © FCP CORIDON