Post #239452 by bigbrotiki on Sat, Jun 24, 2006 1:01 PM

Well it sure looks like one of those Tourist pieces made by this Samoan family that nowadays has relatives working on several Hawaiian islands, like at the International Marketplace for example.

Ancient Hawaiians did not produce canoe prow carvings, the Tahitians, Marquesans and Maori did. So this COULD be a very early tourist piece...but I am sorry to say, you might have been had here, the style looks very current (and common). There were posts on this style carvings on TC before, but I can't look for them, or post pictures of similar pieces.

Philosophically, this info should not diminish the aesthetic value this piece holds for you personally, off course, but unfortunately, often it does....