The real Māui's hook

every piece has a story

This hook is thought to have been made before 1780. Carved from whale bone, it and was brought back to London on Captain Cook’s ship after his death on Hawai’i. The British Museum.

Last week, we took a family vacation to the Island of Hawai’i. In between the beach and pool and countless trips for shave ice, I popped into the boutique at the Mauna Lani hotel. The boutique was staffed by an effortlessly cool gentleman, and I noted his necklace because I had seen another Hawaiian local wearing one the day before. And so I asked him about it.

The heirloom makau that I photographed at the Mauna Lani.

He told me that the pendant is a makau and related how he had inherited it from his grandfather, who had carved it from whale bone and had also woven the cord. I didn’t think to ask about the cord (you don’t know what you don’t know), but it was likely woven from olonā, a flowering plant in the nettle family that is considered to be the strongest and most durable natural plant fiber in the world. It is resistant to saltwater and so was the primary material used for making fishing gear. (Sadly, the plant is disappearing in the islands at a rapid rate)

Check out this closure mechanism.

OK, so maybe if you are quicker than me (or you paid attention to the title), you might have immediately noted the connection between this pendant and the movie Moana. In Polynesian and Hawaiian folklore, the demigod Māui pulled the Hawaiian islands from the ocean with his magical hook (called a mānaiakalani). When worn as a pendant, the Hawaiian makau symbolizes strength, prosperity and a safe passage.

Makau necklace by artist Gary Eoff, who grows his own oolonā.

There’s so much more to say about the makau — but one of the reasons that I wanted to share this story is to encourage you whether traveling or not, to notice jewelry and to be brave and ask about it! Honestly, I’m not always so brave, but the jewelry people choose, almost always has a story.

Have you done this before? Tell me your best jewelry-in-the-wild story!

OK, now I’m off with my seven-year old to see Moana in the theaters. Love when all the worlds collide. But I can’t just leave you with Moana, so here’s a more authentic version of the Māui story told in the mesmerizing voice of Kumu Mark Keali’i Ho’omalu of Academy of Hawaiian Arts.