Post #402112 by joe90 on Mon, Aug 18, 2008 9:37 PM

On 2008-08-18 18:42, Robb Hamel wrote:
Alii Tiki - that's one I've never heard or even imagined. Is it possible that they followed whales?

Definitely! The hunting of whales is a shared by most Pacific Rim Cultures. The hunters were aware of migration patterns, and over the course of several centuries I'm sure that these groups ranged further and further abroad. The migration patterns of the people probably followed the coastal lines of the Pacific Rim countries. When you start to look at cultures such as the Tinglit of British Columbia, the Ainu of Japan, the Seram in the Malaku Islands, the Maori, the Samoans and Polynesians you begin to see cultural parallels, if not ethnic/genetic parallels.

And all of these peoples have their Tikis, or their Totems. They are drawn to the spiritual power, like moths to the light. (I mean that in the sense of navigation as opposed to self-destruction) :) And here we are, children of the Digital Age, a wealth of information at our fingertips, and we still are drawn to the Tiki, and feel the need to pay respects to the tradition. That's the wonder of the human spirit!