Fish hook (makau) jewelry: meaning, styles and what to look for

Makau is the Hawaiian word for a fish hook, and makau jewelry is a pendant in the shape of one, carved from bone, wood or shell or made in gold or silver. In old Hawaiʻi the makau was an essential, carefully made tool, and its shape is tied to the story of Maui pulling islands up from the sea with his hook, Mānaiakalani. Today makau pendants are commonly given for strength, abundance, good fortune and safe travel over water. We do not make makau jewelry, but this page explains the motif and what to look for.

The makau in old Hawaiʻi

Fishing fed Hawaiʻi, and hooks were made with great skill from bone, pearl shell, wood and turtle shell, shaped to the kind of fish being caught. The Hawaiian dictionary lists words for each part of a hook, such as the shank and the point, and for different kinds of hook, from barbless hooks to large shark hooks. Bishop Museum holds the largest collection of Hawaiian fishhooks in the world and has published a database of more than four thousand hooks from three sites in Kaʻū, on Hawaiʻi Island, made between about 1000 and 1600.

Maui and Mānaiakalani

The best-known makau in Hawaiian moʻolelo (stories) belongs to the demigod Maui. In a version retold through Bishop Museum, Maui baits his hook Mānaiakalani and tells his brothers not to look back as they paddle. They look, the line breaks, and instead of one great land the islands come up separately. Other versions differ in where Maui fished, what the hook was made of and what was hooked, and accounts vary from island to island. Some also connect the name with the constellation that Western astronomers call Scorpius, whose curved tail looks like a hook.

What it means on jewelry

Hawaiʻi Public Radio notes that the carved bone hooks people wear at the neck are properly called makau. The meanings most often given for them are strength, prosperity and abundance, good fortune, and safe passage over water. Those meanings are repeated widely by carvers and jewelers, but we could not find them in older Hawaiian sources, so we present them as how makau are commonly given today rather than as old tradition.

The makau is sometimes confused with the lei niho palaoa, a hook-shaped pendant traditionally carved from sperm whale tooth, hung on braided human hair and worn by people of high rank. It is a different object, with a different history.

Common styles

• Carved bone. The classic makau, now usually carved from cattle bone and hung on a cord.
• Wood and shell. Koa and other woods, mother-of-pearl or abalone, sometimes combined with bone.
• Gold and silver. Smooth metal hooks, sometimes engraved with scroll or wrapped with a twisted band, on a chain.
• Earrings and small charms. Miniature hooks, often in sterling silver.

What to look for when buying

Material honesty. Ask exactly what a carved makau is made of. Cattle bone, wood, shell and resin are all fine if they are described honestly. Whale bone, ivory and turtle shell are not: Hawaiʻi’s 2016 wildlife trade law, Act 125, bans the sale of whale, sea turtle and many other wildlife products, with narrow exceptions.

Hand carved or cast. Hand-carved bone has small tool marks and slight differences from piece to piece. Resin and cast pieces repeat exactly and can feel light and warm compared with bone.

The point. Some makau keep a sharp point or barb. For everyday wear, a gently rounded point is kinder to clothes and skin.

Solid or hollow, and weight. For metal makau, ask whether the piece is solid and what it weighs in grams.

Karat stamps. Look for 14K or 585, 10K or 417, 18K or 750, or 925 for sterling. GP, GF, HGE and RGP mean plated or gold filled.

Made in Hawaiʻi or imported. Under Hawaiʻi law, “made in Hawaii” requires at least 51 percent of the wholesale value to be added in the state. Many carved hooks sold in the islands are made elsewhere, so ask who carved it and where.

For how metal, weight and handwork affect cost, see our guide to Hawaiian jewelry prices.

Care

Bone is porous. Keep a bone makau dry, take it off for swimming and showering, and put it on after lotion and sunscreen, which bone absorbs and can stain. Wipe it with a soft dry cloth. Check and replace the cord when it frays. Metal makau can be washed in warm water with mild dish soap and a soft toothbrush, then dried.

Why we do not make it

We do not make makau jewelry. Our work is hand engraving in the heirloom tradition, and our designs are scroll, plumeria, maile, naupaka and honu, on our pendants, rings, bracelets and wedding bands. For a carved makau, we suggest finding a carver in Hawaiʻi who can tell you exactly what the hook is made of and who made it.