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The Material Culture of the Cook Islands (Aitutaki)

3.—Fish Spears

3.—Fish Spears.

It is held that in pre-European times fish spears were made of a straight piece of iron-wood with one end pointed, but without a barb. The fish were sought for by diving round the rocks and locating them in the crevices, as is done now. They were pierced, patia, but fish spears were not thrown as a regular method.

In the deeper crevices, where the fish cannot be seen, they are felt for. As several fish are dangerous to feel for with the hand, a two-foot rod of iron wood with a blunt point was used. This was termed a hakapaki. Armed with this, the diver felt down into the holes. On locating a fish, he ran the stick gently along it. He could tell from the spines and shape if it were one of the dangerous kind that could not be handled with impunity. The dangerous fish were the sea eel (karahoa), poison fish (nohu), porcupine fish (totara and totarahau), and vana. In modern times fish spears are made with iron points, whilst the shafts are of hau.

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Single-pointed spear. A single point without a barb is used on a shorter iron-wood handle, about five feet long. This is used round the rocks, where the fishermen dive down and look for the fish in the crevices. As the point has no barb, the fish is very liable to come off if there is a straight pull upwards. The spearman therefore endeavours to get his left hand down over the fish, so as to keep it on the spear as it is being withdrawn from the water.

A modern gaff, made of a large fish-hook tied to a handle, is used where the crevices are too narrow to admit the hand. The hook is slipped down along the spear, passed over the back of the fish, and jabbed back into it. The handles of the gaff and the spear are held together, and by hauling them out together the fish is kept on the spear.

Many-pointed spears. Spear-heads are forged with as many as seven points, but four or five is the usual thing. They are tied on to a long handle made of hau, as much as eight or nine feet in length. Besides thrusting at fish, they are also thrown. This is usually with an underhand throw, the fingers of the right hand being on the end of the handle.