Hei Matau (Fishhook) - Originally Maori have been fishermen. Their main food source was the sea, so a fishhook of high quality was an unbelievably valuable item to own. The hook became a symbol of prosperity, abundance, good health, power, authority and respect for the sea and its life in it.They also provide good luck and safety while travelling across water.
Heru, used by Maori to fasten long hair into a top knot. These also identified the rank of the wearer and were usually carved from a single piece of whale bone or wood and on occasion decorated with paua shell.
These days many bone carvings are made from cattle bone as it is an ethically abundant source.
