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ABORIGINAL FISH-HOOKS*

Stephen Bowers

Four years ago the writer contributed an article which was

published in Science on pre-historic fish-hooks, which he believes to

have been the first description of the true aboriginal fish-hooks from
this section of the country. Many of the specimens figured and des-
cribed as "fish-hooks" are, doubtless, nothing more nor less than

ornaments which were worn in the ears of the natives. This is true of
Fig. 1, and possibly Fig. 2. The first was manufactured.from haliotis
shell, and the cut is the size of the original, which is true of all
the specimens figured in this paper.

It will be observed that the point of the specimen first figured
comes so near the shank that when the end of the line was looped upon
it and cemented with asphaltum, which was universally the case, the

space would be filled and certainly it would be out of the question to
hook it into the mouth of a fish.

This may also be argued against Fig. 2. But from the fact that

the latter specimen contains a barb, some archaeologists claim that it
is a fish-hook. Yet it is by no means clear to my mind that it was
designed for anything but an ornament for the person.

The true fish-hook, of what is known as the Santa Barbara stock of
Indians, is represented in Figs. 3 and 4, and was manufactured from

bone. Two slightly curved and doubly pointed pieces of bone were tied

together at one end, the larger piece being used for the shank on which
the line.was fastened, and the shorter piece to pierce the mouth of the
fish. Its form is similar to that still in use by the South-sea
Islanders and manufactured from the shell of the pearl oyster.

Fig. 5 represents a metal fish-hook which the writer found in an
Indian grave on the Conejo plateau, in this (Ventura) county. The
shank was fastened into an olivella shell which had been notched as

represented in the engraving.   The shell was, doubtless, designed to

attract by its glistening and shiny appearance. The specimen is some-

what restored in the cut, the original having been eaten with rust, but

* The West American Scientist, Vol. III, Whole No. 32, pp. 243-245.
San Diego, 1887.

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is still sufficiently perfect to show the outline and character of the
implement.

On San Miguel Island, and in other places in this section, the
writer has found the rude tools by which ornaments like Fig. 1 were
made, and the specimens in various stages of development. The study
of this kind of aboriginal work is invested with much interest.

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Figure i.

Figure 2.

Figure 3.

Figure 4.

Figure 5.