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Knife

18th century
Not on view
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.
In Hawai’ian oratory, the highest-­ranking chiefs were referred to metaphorically as “sharks that walk the land,” an epithet indicative of the awe­inspiring power and authority that they wielded. This knife is made of twelve large shark teeth, each pierced twice and secured in a shallow groove around the rim with ’olonā fiber.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Knife
  • Date: 18th century
  • Geography: United States, Hawai'ian Islands
  • Medium: Wood; shark teeth fiber (’olonā)
  • Dimensions: H. 12 5/8 in. (32 cm)
  • Classification: Wood-Implements
  • Credit Line: Private collection, Mark Blackburn, Honolulu, Hawai'i
  • Rights and Reproduction: Mark and Carolyn Blackburn Collection, Honolulu, Hawaiʻi
  • Curatorial Department: The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing