Fish Hook
ClassificationsTools and Equipment-fishing equipment
Dateearly 20th Century
Collection SiteMarshall Islands
Made AtMarshall Islands
MediumShell, tooth, raffia and fiber
Dimensions4 1/2 × 7/8 × 1 1/2 in. (11.4 × 2.2 × 3.8 cm)
Credit LineAnonymous Loan
Object numberL.2020.2.45
DescriptionThis fish hook comes from the Marshall Islands in Micronesia. It was collected in 1944 by Lt Charles B. Miller, Jr, USN, near the island of Majuro. Given the limited resources in Micronesia, fishing was often one of the primary means of sustaining life. This fishhook illustrates how objects were made with function in mind rather than ornamentation. The hook uses the glint of shell and movement of raffia underwater to attract fish.On View
On view
