Post #198142 by Aaron's Akua on Tue, Nov 15, 2005 12:19 AM

Just back from Maui and adjusting to the mainland time zone and the harsh reality of returning to work. My head is still in Maui, though. Here is where we stayed, Napili Bay.

The last time we hit Maui was 6 years ago. I have to say, hanging out at Tiki Central the last 2 years or so has sharpened my tiki radar. This time I had a plan to seek out some of the local tiki carvers.

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First Tongan Carver
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I quickly stumbled across a Tongan carver across the street from the big Banyan tree park in Lahaina.

I honestly don't remember his name, but he was a very laid back and pleasant to talk with. This was just my second day on the island and it was really nice to hang out & watch a native carver doing his craft out in the open market with the sun and a nice island breeze. This is what I call a vacation!

Notice that all of the carvers that I met in Hawaii use pretty much the same tools - hand chisels, a small wood club for a mallet, and a surform to round the edges and smooth it out (no sanding - I like it!).

Here's some of his work - a really nice style.

I introduced myself as a carver and we chatted for awhile about the tiki carving thing. I learned a bit about the local woods and asked him if I could buy a blank piece. No problem - I got the "haole carver's discount", and happily walked away with a nice piece of "Milo" wood.

Milo is a nice hard wood with beautiful variations of dark and light brown with bands or reddish and even purplish color through the heartwood. I'm saving this one for a house tiki.

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Ma'ake
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The next day I met another local carver in Napili Center at a crafts fair. His name is Ma'ake (pronounced Ma-a-kay). Coincidentally, Ma'ake was also a Tongan carver. I later found out that virtually all of the carvers on the island were Tongans, and pretty much all related, being cousins or 2nd cousins of the same carving clan.

As soon as I introduced myself as a carver, Ma'ake gestured for me to take a seat on the ground next to him and we were soon deep into a discussion of the art of carving. It was really fascinating. These Tongan carvers have a way about them that is difficult to describe. They are all big guys, but softspoken with an air of tranquility and peacefulness about them. He told me of his heritage as a carver, being 5th generation of a line of carvers, each one learning the craft from father to son. He told me how in the old days the wood was carved using sharpened shells, before chisels were available (something I've often wondered about). I asked him why all of the local carvers were Tongans, not Hawaiians. The short answer was that Hawaiians own land, and Tongans pay mortgages - Tongans being a very hardworking people. And why are all the Tongans carving Hawaiian tikis, not Tongan? Short answer: People who come to Hawaii want Hawaiian tikis, people who go to Tonga want Tongan tikis.

Ma'ake's style, like the others that I met, was a mix of Tongan & Hawaiian. The dieties are Hawaiian, the detailing is Tongan. I really like this style.

I bought this little guy, which is carved from "Hau" wood. He inscribed it with his name on the back as a keepsake. Ma'ake was really interested in my mainland wood supply, and I promised to bring some redwood logs for a trade on my next trip.

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Tevita
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Later I ran into Tevita, another Tongan who sells at The Cannery Mall in Lahaina. We really struck a chord, and talked lots about tools. He was very interested in chainsaw carving bars and the Arbortech reciprocating grinder/chisel, and I promised to mail him a catalog and some web printouts (he has no internet access). I told Tevita about my "Haole Carver's Discount" on the Milo wood. He thought for a moment and then told me to come back a few days later for a log. No problem, I said!

This is the same "Hau" wood as the tiki that I got from Ma'ake. It is very hard and has a beautiful wavy grain. This piece came with the "Carver Ohana Discount", which means FREE OF CHARGE. Nice!

I also bought this Monkeypod tiki from Tevita, and he tapped his name on the back for me. We bought most of our groceries from the Safeway at that mall, so I ended up hanging out with Tevita several times over the course of the week.

BTW, this is what a monkeypod tree looks like, they are all over the place in Maui.

Here's some of Tevita's work.

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At first glance most of the Tongan Carver Ohana's work looked pretty similar. But take a closer look and you will see the unique style of each. They all draw on the same roots, but every member of the clan had taken their art down a slightly different path. Brouse these photos a second time and you will get a feel for it. I also noticed that just a couple of the pieces were decidedly "non-traditional". (Just thought I'd mention that in light of our recent discussions here at TC).

Here is my shameless offspring photo. Nathan actually cried when we left Maui. He thought we had moved there. This is a boy after my own heart.

It is hard to relay to all of you what an authentic (for lack of a better word) and rewarding experience it was to hang out and share perspectives with these guys. It was really natural and I did not feel so much like a tourist as a brother carver.

I returned to the world of daily internet access to find a deep discussion of what is TIKI happening on my favorite website. It is hard to think that hard. **Keep the Island Spirit, TC Ohana!

Aloha!

A-A
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