Lūheʻe
Octopus lures
Lūhe'e are cowrie shell lures used in Hawaiʻi to catch octopus. Lūheʻe generally consist of a cowrie shell, stone weight, piece of wood, pointed barb, and cordage. The cowrie shell and stone weight are lashed to one end of the wooden piece and the barb is tied to the other end. The cordage used to lower the lure into the water is attached to the cowrie shell. When an octopus sees the cowrie shell, it wraps itself around the lure in the hopes having its next meal.
Lures of similar design and construction are found throughout the Pacific, and there are numerous stories that tell of the reason why the octopus is attracted to cowries. The similarities of these oral traditions strengthen the belief that people of Polynesia have a common cultural history.
In one story, Rat asks Octopus if he can take him to the next island and once there, will give him a special gift. Octopus agrees and takes Rat, on his head, to the next island. Once there Rat jumps off and tells Octopus he left the gift on his head. Octopus checks and finds that the rat has tricked him, leaving only a pile of droppings. Now, whenever an octopus sees a rat, he will pounce on it in revenge. The shape of the lūheʻe mimics the shape of a rat, and as the story goes, the octopus will attack the rat that insulted its ancestor long ago.