If you have been reading this series of articles on artifacts of old Samoa, you may notice that the items discussed are no longer commonly made in Samoa as they once were.

The very large slit wood drums known as the lali used in modern Samoa, mainly at churches and resorts, are very likely to have been made a very long time ago. The last hardwood combs and fans with their intricate designs were probably made over 100 years ago. This next item is no different and maybe even less known by modern Samoans as its use was the domain of fishermen.

The pāatu or pāaloatu, is a composite trolling lure used to catch a particular species of fish: the skipkack tuna or bonito, known to Samoans as atu. This artifact is another example of the exceptional intelligence and skill of the Samoans who lived close to nature for millennia before Europeans arrived with their metal tools and steel hooks. Before foreign influence, Samoans were able to sustainably derive sustenance from the rich marine and terrestrial environments. As with the other artifacts featured in this series on Samoan artifacts, pāatu are now being made at Tiapapata.

The composite trolling hook with a shank (pā) measuring 80mm is made from ‘ali‘ao (trochus shell). The maga (barb), is cut from a very old piece of turtle shell and is lashed to the pā with finely braided ‘afa (coconut sennit). Other components are the sega (hackle) and ta’ā (cordage or line). Black or white feathers of the gogo (tern) are among the feathers traditionally used for the hackle.

Traditional bonito trolling lures are no longer made in Samoa but there are hooks known to be held privately by the descendants of fishermen who once made their hooks. As with the other old artifacts, examples of the fine craftsmanship needed to create this once-important tool can only be seen online and in museum collections around the world (but not in Samoa).

There are several fascinating aspects to the composite trolling lure. One is that the lure’s composite design seems to be common throughout the islands of Polynesia, suggesting there may been a sharing of knowledge. The barb allows for an easy release of the fish when landing in the canoe and expert fishermen are known to be able to catch many fish in succession because of this. Lures also have different names depending on the colours of the shank and barb.

In an interview conducted in April 2010, Alo Ioapo, a fisherman from Fusi, Safata, explained the different names of lures that relate to their differing colours.

Other names for lures that vary by colour include ulia, laumilo, and the ulia laumilo. The colour of the feathers attached at the bottom of the lure also varies, depending on what little fish hunted by the bonito is in season. Matching colours to maximise the catch demonstrates a deep knowledge of the natural world. It is for this reason that the colour of the lower part of the shank would be carefully selected to match the colour of the barb and vice versa. But perhaps the most amazing aspect of the lure is what the shank can be made from.

Pearl shell is one of these materials and, according to Sir Rangi Hiroa, the renowned Maori anthropologist, these shells are not found in Samoan waters and were obtained from other islands through trade. Cutting a hook from this hard shell is a remarkable feat, but it is the making of a lure from what is known as tio, that is a truly astonishing discovery and demonstrates just how deeply connected Samoans were with the natural environment.

Some corals contain a hard, crystal-like substance about the size and length of a finger. Described by Buck as a “salicaceous rod-like material formed in the borings of certain sea worms in coral rock,” tio can be white all over or, more rarely and highly prized, have dark sections, usually at one end.   

Samoans had to be very careful when hammering tio out of the coral for they can also shatter if struck. Once removed, the tio, as with the pā made from pearl shell, is shaped by grinding on foaga, a grinding stone also used to shape and sharpen to‘i ma‘a, stone adzes made from Oceanic Basalt.

According to Alo Ioapo, it could take a week to shape one pā.

I have been searching for tio for many years now, asking fishermen all over the archipelago for a sample. The fishermen told me it was no longer easy to find as if the environment was closing itself off from the people it once shared its treasures with. It was not until last month, November 2023, that I was finally able to see and touch this rare material. It was in the village of Falealupo where I met a fisherman who owns the Seeti Beach Fale Resort, Fanoga Sefo. His son Ketesemane often accompanied his father when they went looking for tio and he offered to take me one day

We scoured a section of a coral-filled coastline for 20 minutes before finding the rare material. A sledgehammer and hammer were used to remove several lengths of the tio. His father later told me how it would be painstakingly ground into the shape of a pā.

The making of pāaloatu draws on what is known as intangible cultural heritage (ICH) for it is the discovery of the material, what it can yield, and how it is shaped that gives rise to its final physical form as a lure. It also falls within the definition of traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) that describes indigenous and other traditional knowledge of local resources, in this case for fishing.

As with other artifacts of old Samoa, the Samoan language is greatly enriched by the practices associated with the making and use of these cultural products. “Se‘i motu le pā ‘a ua iloa” is one such proverb that makes a direct reference to the trolling lure. The literal translation is “may the lure that breaks be known.”

Fanoga Sefo explained that fisherman know very well these hooks can and invariably do break; but when a lure does break, he adds, may it already have served its purpose well and caught many, many fish. This series of articles can be likened to a lure, not a trolling lure for fish but a pā-alo-mafaufauga, a lure that can capture the thoughts and imagination of readers.