 Rope @-@ mounted teeth are important cultural objects throughout the Pacific . In New Zealand , the Māori know them as " rei <unk> " ; such whale tooth pendants were rare objects because sperm whales were not actively hunted in traditional Māori society . Whale ivory and bone were taken from beached whales . In Fiji the teeth are known as <unk> , traditionally given as gifts for atonement or esteem ( called <unk> ) , and were important in negotiations between rival chiefs . Friedrich <unk> in The History of Mankind reported in 1896 that , in Fiji , whales ' or <unk> ' teeth were the most @-@ demanded article of ornament or value . They occurred often in necklaces . Today the <unk> remains an important item in Fijian life . The teeth were originally rare in Fiji and Tonga , which exported teeth , but with the Europeans ' arrival , teeth flooded the market and this " currency " collapsed . The oversupply led in turn to the development of the European art of scrimshaw . 
