The Hidden Significance Behind The Hawaiian Makau - Fish Hook

Often regarded as a symbol for safe passage over water, the makau, or fishhook,
brings good fortune and strength to those who wear it.

Often regarded as a symbol for safe passage over water, the makau, or fishhook, brings good fortune and strength to those who wear it.

If you have been to Hawaii, it is very likely you’ve seen the makau, or fishhook. It’s also likely that you might not know the enormous cultural importance of the fish hook. A symbol of safe passage over water, the makau has held a deep cultural significance throughout the Hawaiian Island chain and the Polynesian Triangle for over a thousand years.

Thought to bring good fortune and strength to those who wear it, the makau was traditionally carved from a variety of materials, including bone, wood, stone, coral, and even turtle shells. Different variations were created to catch different species of sea creatures, and the art of their creation is something that was passed down through generations. The connection to the sea was passed along with it.

Over the years, they became something more than a common fish hook. They became prized possessions that were thought to have a spiritual life force, which you probably know as “mana.” The makau became a part of Hawaiian lore when the god Maui used one called Mānaiakalani to hook the islands together in an effort to unite them. Now, the makau is “a symbol of humans’ connection with the sea, its creatures and the fragile balance of life on the Islands.”