Shark Tooth Tool
Tonga, late 18th century
Wood, mako shark tooth, and coir
Lent by Mark and Carolyn Blackburn
EX.8785.256 photo courtesy of the Mark and Carolyn Blackburn Collection, Honolulu, Hawaiʻi
During the eighteenth century, this type of tool was used for boring holes and for fine engraving before nails and sharp metal tools were introduced from outside the region.