This hook, part of the Massachusetts Historical Society’s massive collection, is supposedly from the Sandwich Islands and carved from the bone of Captain James Cook. James Cook, part of the English Royal Navy, extensively explored Australia, New Zealand, and Tahiti. His last voyage was to Hawaii, which he termed the Sandwich Islands in honor of the Earl of Sandwich. He was killed by tribesmen in 1779 due to complex and polarizing circumstances. His body was dismembered, boiled, and the bones removed which was customary for the time. After discussions between British and Hawaiian entities, some remains of Cook’s body was returned, which were buried at sea.
Image courtesy of the Massachusetts Historical Society IMAGE LINK
The Ghastly Historian 
