Post #247923 by tikiwinebear on Wed, Aug 9, 2006 4:30 PM

I, too, have been following these postings since they started, and have had similar experiences of evolving from my pre-educated understanding of what Tiki is. My first "tiki parties" were decorated with flamingos, parrots, thatching, tikis, leis, and exotic flowers. I soon became a member of Tiki Central, and started reading about the Tiki style and started adapting my decor to be more in tune with the Hawaiian / Polynesian / Tiki style and less Caribbean. Currently, I have a tendency to mix more Hawaiian with my Tiki, but believe I have eliminated most "Caribbean Island" influences. (I still listen to JB and steel drum music, but do not play it during my parties.) There are now 14 tikis in my backyard, large ones and small ones, adorning my tiki hut and tiki bar. (The 8 flamingos come out at Christmas to pull Santa's sleigh.)

I wonder about the evolution of Tiki in the 50's and 60's. The BOT is a wonderful study on Tiki as it was in its heyday. But Tiki wasn't born a style in 1951, or 1956, or even 1963. It evolved over time to incorporate all the things we seem to appreciated on Tiki Central. Saying that Witco is pure Tiki is questionable to me, as I believe Witco wasn't even around in the early 50's, but introduced and accepted to be Tiki later on, and is accepted as pure Tiki nowadays.

Is Tiki evolving with the new generation... you and me? Are we allowing computer generated art prints to be accepted as Tiki while pure Tiki wall art was near-naked wahines painted on black velvet?

I love and appreciate pure Tiki as we see in BOT. But are we as the new generation of "those who appreciate Tiki" allowing the evolution of Tiki to take its course as new objects, styles and methods are being created? At what year do we draw the fine line separating pure Tiki with anything new?

• Myke