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Samoan Material Culture

Shark Noose and its Uses

Shark Noose and its Uses

Shark noose (maea noa maliei). The shark noose is made of full-sized sennit rope and, the noose being rather large for the term sele, the name is applied to the rope (maea) by which the shark (malie) is strangled (noa), hence maea noa malie. The older name for a shark was the universal Polynesian word mango but, according to tradition, it carried Sina over the sea so well that she thanked it (malie, to thank) and rewarded it with the agreeable name of malie.

The rope is made of strands of three-ply sennit braid but each ply contains as many as eight or nine strands of braid. When the rope has been twisted the further treatment in preparing the shark noose is as follows:

The loop is removed from the horizontal stake on which it was commenced and wrapped or seized with a strand of three-ply sennit braid to form a stiff open eye (ai niu) Commencing on one side close to the rope junction, the braid end is slanted in a direction away from the junction and held down on the strands with the left thumb while the right hand makes a turn round the strands to cross the braid a little distance from the braid end. The succeeding turns are placed as close together as possible and in the seizing, page 423the end of the braid is covered and thus fixed without any knot. To wrap round is ta'ai or saloi but the seizing of the rope is termed matimati. The matimati seizing is continued right around the eye. When it approaches the rope junction, a few firm figure-eight turns are crossed alternately around each limb until the temporary junction lashing prevents its further progress. The lashing is removed and the seizing with the continuous braid is carried on over the junction and along the rope.

Before continuing the seizing over the rope, however, further steps are taken to insure a smooth running noose. The rope is a thick three-ply twist with marked grooves between the plies. The three interply grooves are filled in (fa'atumu), each with a strand of sennit braid. Their ends are held in position while the seizing proceeds over them and fixes them. They follow the spiral grooves and are readily kept in their position by the left hand as the right makes the close transverse turns of the seizing. The rope that has to run through the eye is thus made perfectly round so as to run easily and at the same time the seizing stiffens it. The seizing is continued for the length required for the noose to accommodate the largest shark likely to be caught and then ended. In adding a fresh piece of sennit braid to continue the seizing, the ends of the old piece and the new piece are crossed in a slanting direction down the rope. The 'first turn of the new piece thus crosses over both ends, and subsequent turns, by covering both ends, fix them without any knot. In finishing off the seizing, three or four loose turns are made over the left thumb stretched along the rope and after removing the thumb, the end of the wrapping braid is turned back under the loose turns. Commencing with the turn next the seizing, each turn is drawn taut and the end of the braid pulled to remove the slack. The braid is then cut off back on the seizing where it emerges from under the first of the loose turns tightened.

Nowadays, shark nooses are usually made of bought rope of three-ply twist and one end is doubled back and spliced to form an eye. In Manua, the splicing is the much used word so'o (to join) and the eye is called tali masanga (tali, to receive; masanga, to act together).

A proper shark rope seen at Leone was 22 feet long and was seized for 5 feet from the eye. The rope was 0.85 inches in diameter. At the end, the strands had been divided into two lots and each plaited to form two smaller cords 20 and 44 inches long. The two smaller cords are tied around the rear boom of the canoe.

Shark nets are now rarely if ever used. Noosing, however, still remains the common Samoan method of catching shark. With such a well-established successful method, there was little incentive to use a hook. My Samoan informants denied the use of a hook and it is extremely doubtful if it was ever used. The wooden hook in the Dresden Museum mentioned by Beasley (1, p. 22) as being a Samoan shark hook was probably a hook for catching masimasi.

As the noosing method (lepamalie) forms such an extraordinary contrast to the method of using large hooks in marginal Polynesia, it is described here in detail. The shark was lured to the side of the canoe by means of rattles and baits.

Shark rattle (tu'i ipu or lutu). The tu'i ipu is formed of the discarded half coconut shells (ipu) that abound near the cooking house from the grating of coconuts. (See figure 254.)

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There is no special care taken in making the rattles. Any shells and any suitable wood serve the purpose. They are used to attract attention by lowering the shells well down into the water and working the handle part violently up and down, care being taken to keep the shells submerged. A sound is made not by the shells clicking together but by the commotion of the water caused by the cups being drawn up and down. The commotion in the water, according to the Samoans, conveys the idea to the shark that there is a school of fish about. As it swims in the direction of the sound, another of the shark's senses conies under the influence of the bait lures. When a shark is seen in the vicinity of the bait lures, the rattle is drawn up.

Figure 254.—Shark rattles (tu'i malie). Usually five pairs of half shells are choosen and any kind of hole knocked through the bottom with the end of a stick. These are threaded on a wooden handle or frame and faced as if they were five whole coconuts. The handles vary with the taste of the fisherman into one of four forms:

Figure 254.—Shark rattles (tu'i malie). Usually five pairs of half shells are choosen and any kind of hole knocked through the bottom with the end of a stick. These are threaded on a wooden handle or frame and faced as if they were five whole coconuts. The handles vary with the taste of the fisherman into one of four forms:

a, straight handle in which a straight rod (1) about 4 or 5 feet long is selected with a hook formed by a cut off branch (2) at the bottom end. The hook prevents the bottom shell from slipping off. The handle must be long enough to give the fisherman plenty of length for working the lure up and down while the shells are submerged in the water. Models in museums are usually much too short and give a wrong impression of how violently the lure is shaken. b, Oval one-piece handle. The shells are threaded on a straight piece of green wood (1) which is bent around to cross the ends (2) which are tied together. c, Curved handle with crossbar. The shells are again threaded on a straight crossbar (1) to the ends of which are tied the two ends of a curved stick (2) which forms the handle. d, Forked handle with crossbar. The shells are threaded on a straight cross bar (1) to the ends of which are tied the two ends of a forked stick (2) which forms the handle.

Bait lures. There are three bait lures, the deep, the float, and the near baits.

1.Deep bait (maunu tau lafo). The deep bait is a bait of an old fowl or a piece of pork which is tied to a ten-foot rope and thrown overboard. It sinks down and when a deep-swimming shark is attracted to it, the bait is drawn up and the shark comes within the sphere of the near bait.
2.Float bait (uto). The far bait is tied to a wooden float called an uto and is thus referred to as uto. The upper surface of the float is flat and the page 425side edges, after running parallel for about half way, slope inwards to the middle line and run forward to form a projection about one inch wide. The under convex surface, after running forward at even depth, slopes upwards towards the projection which has a constricted neck. At the other end a wooden peg is driven into the end surface about 0.75 inches below the upper surface and the middle line. (See Plate XLI, C.)

A strand of sennit braid is run from the front projection along the middle line of the upper surface, around the posterior peg and back to the neck of the projection. It is looped forward and then lashed to the projection at the neck with the end of another long piece of braid. The long end of lashing braid is left on to serve as a bait tie. Round the curved surface of the float four transverse grooves are cut at fairly equal distances apart. Bait is tied to the mesial longitudinal braids opposite the grooves. Opposite the first two grooves at the pointed end dried bonito heads (pa'o'o) are tied, to the third a fish, and to the last a piece of pork. In these days when kegged beef is so much in favor, a piece of old salt beef may replace the pork.

The bonito pa'o'o bait consists of the head of the bonito from which the skull and under parts are removed, leaving the large opercula connected in the middle line above. (See Plate XLI, B.) These heads are dried and kept as they have a strong, powerful odor which attracts the shark.

The bonito bait is turned down and one side pushed through under the mesial braids so that an operculum is on either side of the middle line. The tie line is brought down the middle line, over the middle line, over the bait, turned to the left and passed around under the float to appear on the right side. From the right it passes to the left over the middle line and over its previous course, and after looping around the left operculum of the bait passes back to the middle line to take a turn around the mesial braids. The second bonito bait is tied in the same way, and then the other two.

The uto float is now baited, but another trailing bait (maunu tafea) is lied to a cord a foot long and the end of the cord tied to the float under the end of the mesial braids. The uto float bait is the most important in attracting the fish. A head fisherman at Papa, Savaii, stated that the following words were repeated as each of the four baits were tied on:

Fa'amata maiufi. Look O, Maiufi.
Fa'amata nai aso. Look O, Naiaso.
Fa'amata alava. Look O, Alava.
Fa'amata uluvai. Look O, Uluvai.

The four names recited are names of kinds of shark. The head fisherman at Salailua, Savaii, denied the use of the above in his district while tying on bait but said the following words were used when the uto float was thrown out:

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Malie i sasa'e, Shark in the east,
Malie i sisifo, Shark in the west,
Malie i uta, Shark inland,
Malie i tai, Shark at sea,
Malie i lalo, Shark below,
Fai uma latou taunga lena. Gather all together, there is the feast!

The float is tied to a long rope and thrown out. A man watches it and reports any movement. Sometimes the bait is taken by a shark. When a shark is noticed making for or biting at the float, the float is drawn in slowly to draw the shark after it. When the shark gets close enough to the canoe to come within the sphere of the near bait, the float bait is drawn into the canoe.

3.Near bait (maunu tautino). The near bait hangs on a short line near the canoe (tautino, near the body). The purpose of this bait is to manoeuvre the shark into position for the noose. The bonito pa'o'o may be used.

Using the noose. The expert with the noose judges the size of the loop to suit the size of the shark that is now plainly visible near the canoe. He opens out the noose to the required size and, holding it at the eye by the right hand, he grasps the rope with the left hand not far from the right. The noose keeps open owing to the stiff nature of the sennit rope and the seizing. A manila rope is no good because it is too soft and the loop sags. The noose is lowered into the water with the hand above the surface and the loop at right angles to the canoe. The assistant manipulates the near bait so as to draw the shark which follows it into the noose. As the shark's head enters the noose, the expert's right hand carries the loop back until it touches the shark's dorsal fin (tulangongo). The dorsal fin is an anatomical landmark. The shark's lower jaw is set well back and the noose must not be closed until it is behind the lower jaw. Immediately the right hand touches the dorsal fin, the expert knows that the noose is behind the lower jaw, so he pulls the rope taut with his left hand while the right holds the eye of the noose firmly against the side of the shark.

An ordinary sized shark is firmly held in this position in spite of its struggles. It cannot possibly bite while so held. The right hand, by means of the noose, turns the shark's head upward and as soon as the nose shows above the surface an assistant strikes it with a club. If the shark is too strong, the fisherman has to let it go. He must choose the moment when the head of the fish is directed downwards. If he lets go when the head is directed upwards, the shark may snap his hand before he can get it clear.

A man of Safotu, Savaii, had his hand bitten off at the wrist through letting go at the wrong time. The boat came in immediately but as the crew were evidently ignorant of the value of the tourniquet, the unfortunate man died from loss of blood just as the boat reached the shore.

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When the rope; is let go, it must be held near the tied end to prevent the weight coming on the rear boom and thus snapping it. The shark is allowed to tow the canoe and thus exhaust itself. After a time, three or four sharp jerks will bring it to and cause it to float belly upwards. The shark is drawn in to the side of the canoe. The expert gets hold of the rope against the body very quickly and working his hands downwards on either side gets them into the gills. The head is then lifted up out of the water and an assistant strikes it a couple of blows on the nose with the shark club.

Besides carrying the rope noose and baits, each canoe carries a short club and many carry a wooden spear as well, as part of the shark equipment.

The shark club (fa'po) is a short wooden club from 2.5 to 3 feet long and about 2 inches in diameter. They are round but, owing to the free use of steel tools, some of the more modern ones are four-sided. Heavy wood, such as the manulenga or filofiloa is used. The handle is usually shaped. The term fa'apo means to kill without the victim knowing.

The shark spear (taova'a, from tao, spear, and va'a, canoe) is made of some hard heavy wood, such as filofiloa. It is an ordinary strong stake about 6 feet, 6 inches long and sharpened at one end. If a large shark is caught in a noose and the crew becomes afraid, the spear is thrust into its mouth when it opens. The spear then serves as a gag and the shark is unable to bite. The fish being gagged, the crew have more confidence and the shark is played and despatched in the ordinary way. If the shark is too large to tackle, the spear forms a useful weapon with which to turn it away. A much-used shark spear seen at Papa had cuts all around it from the teeth of various sharks that it had gagged.