Post #420458 by MadDogMike on Sun, Nov 23, 2008 11:39 AM

Sven, the narrow vs broad interpretation was an intentional exageration on my part. I'm not insinuating that we have any extremists in either direction, but just that there is a wide range of viewpoints. And I definitely agree that there should be a recognizable Polynesian influence or it's just not PolyPop.

rbloch66, I am no expert (but BigBroTiki actually is). I'm just a little ways ahead of you on the same path - a hobby artist looking for a legitimate way to express my creativity. If you ask the artists about your deep theology questions, they'll tell you that you're thinking too much and that you need to follow your heart. Look through the posts, especially in the carving forum and use the "Search Tiki Central" link to search a question before you post it, people get peeved answering the same question over and over everytime someone new comes in. There are so many great threads on tools, techniques, materials, and so much inspiration here on TC. Research here, read books, go to the library, if you live in California there are probably some vintage tikis in your area to check out. Go look at the tikis at Party City and NEVER make anything that looks remotely like that :lol: Then get a log and carve away everything that doesn't look like a tiki! You'll find your way.