| Abstract: |
Geographic variability in Polynesian fishhook assemblages has long been recognized but largely unexplained. West Polynesian assemblages are typically small in number, relatively uniform in morphology, and often manufactured from <i>Turbo</i>. Those from East Polynesia are comparatively large and morphologically varied, and <i>Pinctada margaritifera,</i> is the preferred raw material. Drawing on both geographically dispersed assemblages and the temporal sequence from Aitutaki, Cook Islands, I suggest that these assemblage differences stem from both structural properties of the two shell species and their differential availability through time and across the region. I also examine two sets of selective conditions, one that initially led to an increase in the frequency of angling in East Polynesia and a second that subsequently fostered a decline in angling on Aitutaki and possibly elsewhere in the region.
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