Post #509593 by bigbrotiki on Sun, Feb 7, 2010 10:06 AM

Umm....so why would I show it in this thread if not for its similarity? :)

The main difference to the other cult objects where the motif was similar is that nowhere else did the mouth-wrapping-around-the-head occur. That symbolism specifically speaks of cannibalism, while the mere holding of heads or humans symbolizes head hunting, (or birth, or myths about ancestors).

Cannibalism was not practiced universally in the South Seas (though it did occur in the Solomons), for example it did NOT exist in Tahiti, where the carvings hail from. Tahiti also did NOT have a pronounced carving style, but as with tourism demand for Tiki carvings rose, carvers that had moved there from the neighboring Marquesas Islands filled that need. Not only is the style of the Cannibal carvings basically Marquesan, but the tradition is, as the Marquesans DID practice cannibalism.