Fishing lure "pa kahawai" · New Zealand · ID: 3039333
sold
EUR 3,800
Provenance
probably Capitain James Cook, collected on his third voyage to the South Seas, 1776-1779/80Walter Stanley Schwab, Murten, Switzerland
Bernd Schlimper, Düsseldorf, Germany
Jean David, Zurich, Switzerland
Swiss Private Collection
Size
L: 12,5 cm
L: 4.9 inch
Description
wood, bone, haliotis shell, fibre, inscribed in black paint: “Cpt. Cook 1777” (faded/difficult to read), minor missing part at the rim, metal base;
a trolling lure for catching “kahawai”, a schooling fish which was abundant in North Island waters. The lure or spinner was dragged behind a fast-moving canoe, the haliotis shell flashing to attract the prey.
Comparing literature
Hooper, Steven, Pacific Encounters, Norwich 2006, p. 130, ill. 68