Ritual Shark Hook, Rennell Island, Polynesian Outliersgaung'akao height 14 1/2in (36.8cm)ProvenanceAustralian Private CollectionTaylor A. Dale, TAD Tribal Art, Santa Fe, New MexicoPrivate Collection, Santa Fe, New MexicoAccording to Adrienne Kaeppler, "Ritual hooks were used by the priest of the island to invoke the gods before fishing and were considered taboo." Polynesia - The Mark and Carolyn Blackburn Collection of Polynesian Art, University of Hawai'i Press, Honolulu, 2010, p. 272Finely carved in light brown wood with fine, tightly-woven sennit fiber attached and forming a loop.