Post #481917 by Grand Kahu on Mon, Sep 7, 2009 12:09 PM

Tikis - and various Polynesian symbolic objects (masks, etc.) WERE often ritually painted with lime, clays, and other natural pigments. This is not to say they were in day-glo groovy colors, but the brown or weathered gray tikis we all know and love are products of just that - weathering and loss of color. It's akin to the Greek Revival and the scores of white marble buildings which were constructed in the last three centuries. By then, the real ancient Greek structures had lost all of their color (and they were a riot of color) to weathering, hence Greek Revival buildings are typically white - or white. Still, it looks odd to us, as we are used to the current state of things. If Washington D.C. were color-corrected to the original Roman and Greek color schemes, most would think the city had been turned into a huge bordello. (and no, that is not a political commentary...just an architectural one)

GK