1935 Ballyhoo Magazine South Seas Edition (image heavy) - General Tiki

H Humuhumu Member San Francisco Joined: Aug 22, 2002 Posts: 3691	H Humuhumu Posted posted on Sun, Apr 8, 2007 10:09 PM On 2007-04-08 18:42, MrBaliHai wrote: The problem you'd have to deal with in mixing Tiki and Victorian styles is that the Victorians viewed Polynesia as an inferior culture that they had a manifest destiny to conquer, Christianize, and replace with their own, which is almost the total opposite of mid-century Polynesian pop. I'd never thought of it in those terms, but this really sums up why I prefer the later, tiki era of Poly Pop -- there seems to be more real reverence for Polynesia (even if most still had no idea what Polynesia really was like), and an interest in joining them, rather than beating them. Not always, of course -- you still come across stuff from the '50s and '60s that indicates a lack of respect, and the gender inequalities of the day crop up regularly, plus you have to question whether it's really respectful to totally misrepresent a culture -- but there seems to have been a growing general attitude of "hey, they've really got something figured out in the South Pacific" during the '40s, '50s and '60s, vs. this "those savages are so simple and funny!" Even though I don't like this earlier stuff as much, and don't feel as drawn to it, I still find it fascinating in the context of mainland fascination with Polynesia.

On 2007-04-08 18:42, MrBaliHai wrote:
The problem you'd have to deal with in mixing Tiki and Victorian styles is that the Victorians viewed Polynesia as an inferior culture that they had a manifest destiny to conquer, Christianize, and replace with their own, which is almost the total opposite of mid-century Polynesian pop.

I'd never thought of it in those terms, but this really sums up why I prefer the later, tiki era of Poly Pop -- there seems to be more real reverence for Polynesia (even if most still had no idea what Polynesia really was like), and an interest in joining them, rather than beating them. Not always, of course -- you still come across stuff from the '50s and '60s that indicates a lack of respect, and the gender inequalities of the day crop up regularly, plus you have to question whether it's really respectful to totally misrepresent a culture -- but there seems to have been a growing general attitude of "hey, they've really got something figured out in the South Pacific" during the '40s, '50s and '60s, vs. this "those savages are so simple and funny!"

Even though I don't like this earlier stuff as much, and don't feel as drawn to it, I still find it fascinating in the context of mainland fascination with Polynesia.

Post #297754 by Humuhumu on Sun, Apr 8, 2007 10:09 PM