Post #501509 by Aweulekuula on Wed, Dec 30, 2009 4:49 PM

After recarving that one image another set of Ki'i came up and demanded a "re-shaping". These two popped into a dream rather vividly and stated that it was now "their time to walk".

They had originally been carved about seven years ago from two very old tourist ebony carvings from Africa I got from a yard sale for $10 each. They were a male and female pair of heads carved on two cylindrical trunks that were just covered in patterns, not full sculptures. Something inside that wood demanded full bodies so I carved them into a corresponding pair of Hawaiian Ki'i 'Aumakua.

Sadly, as they had very limited space to themselves (they had been carved as narrow cylinders) and I did not have much faith in my carving abilities, I never really carved their feet for fear they would not be able to stand and balance. I also failed to narrow the legs down enough and seperate the arms well enough from the bodies.

All these things I now corrected and the result is a Kane and Hina pairing that I now consider my best.

I also just learned that the brown ebon they are carved from most closely resembles the now endangered Uhi'uhi wood, from which many sacred 'Aumakua images were carved, in both color, hardness, and even density.

This is what they looked like when I first carved them:

(Note how much wider the legs are as compared to the arms and how close the arms are to the body... plus they have no feet.)

Here you see them after the corrections:

(Note how the legs have been narrowed and the arms freed from the trunk... and that they have feet now. The overall effect makes them more dynamic and alive, I feel.)

This image shows the remarkable luster of the brown ebony when the light hits it juuuuust right. No varnish or oil is ever needed on these guys, plus they are so tough that almost nothing damages them. They are the perfect travelling Ki'i to set up sacred spaces and such.

Aloha!

Marcus