The Mystery of the Hawaiian Fern Wood Tiki - General Tiki

T TIKIBOSKO Tiki Socialite Joined: Oct 17, 2004 Posts: 337	T TIKIBOSKO Posted posted on Thu, Apr 29, 2010 12:40 PM Hey Sabu I have no idea how you (and so many other people here) get the time to do this as frequently and effectively as you do, when I sit to write a post it takes a day, when I have to back it up with photo reference, forget it, but your research is inspiring. Thanks for pointing out the height discrepancy, I was always amazed at the size of this carving but as a Polynesian pop revivalist I respect them even more (now) for using the smaller hut to screw with our sense of scale, artistic license at its finest. I’ve been digging around thru my reference for something to compare the “paw” hands to, this Massim New Guinea piece is the closest I could come up with but who knows if the fern carver ever saw it? I was going to make a joke about the plastic rabbit being the basis of the “paws” but then it is from the right time period, so? “Made in Hawaii” or not, after all these years of Tiki collecting I immediately take all claims, text, legends or history with a huge grain of salt. In junior high school a classmate’s mother wholesaled tourist shop stuff to Hawaii and I still vividly remember how cynical and jaded the girl was about how “all that junk comes from California”. The people that sell/sold any Polynesian pop products were doing just that, selling, the consumer bought not just the product but perhaps more importantly the illusion this thing carried. Today we love Don’s tropical drinks, a certain restaurant, designer, or carver’s creations, (even something crudely executed had the intent) because often these things were great. But in many cases they worked just as hard creating an elaborate mystique or legend that the customers would buy into. Some of the people that wrote LP liner or menu notes (for instance) were amazing, it is like reading exotica porn. ? One of the first vintage articles Sven showed me was the “Backyard Polynesia” article, in BOT pg 250 there is a partial clipping of the story. One of the Tikis was described as being “God of the barbeque” I was floored, it was such obvious BS, but so creative. It really brought home the concept that this was a “mainland” pop phenomenon and clearly someone really must have believed it. Recognizing or appreciating the poetry of it is one thing, but (to me or maybe I’m not reading enough here?) that some of these things were a lie (for lack of a better term) seems to slip under the radar here on TC. It could be when people buy into a “con” they believe it whole heartedly or maybe there is a negative connotation to it and we don’t want to focus on that? Over the years when talking to people that were involved in Tiki (first time around) it never ceases to amaze me what lengths they went to perpetuating “their” legends and how some aspects were a “secret”. Often they’ll try and get one over on me until I tell them I am actually in on it, but that they still continue to use the stories 40/50 years on gives you an idea how deeply embedded they were. Also some originators were very different people than their public persona, which makes the movement even more fascinating. Oddly though there are parallels today (which is a whole other topic) and why or how “educated” Tiki people can’t see the obvious or can justify something absurd is astonishing, but I guess it’s why their naïve grandparents went for it back in the day? If you read the other ads on the Pallys flyer, you’ll see some of what I am talking about, the “Authentic” New Zealand Tiki Masks or the Tahitian God of good Fortune”. It’s all amazing hokum; a detail like where the Fern Tiki actually came from is a minor issue. Having said all of this it is quite possible that these were carved in Hawaii, the style seems to have a “Western” approach, more than things you saw coming for the Philippines or other parts of the Pacific. Economically it doesn’t seem likely and again I take all these things with a grain of salt. But all it takes is someone posting about a family member being the person who started this giant (fern) carving business in Hawaii and then what did Bosko know? A fact I can actually add to this post; the first fern carving I consciously examined was on the Webley Edwards LP “Hawaii Island of dreams”. Even way back when I was just starting out it was obvious the caver must have had a tremendous grasp of Tiki carving to do such a “modern” version of a Hawaiian style. I was so inspired that I based my 6th ceramic piece on the style, for some reason people thought I was going for the Frankoma mug but it was in fact that fern Tiki. My very best alohas, Bosko

Hey Sabu I have no idea how you (and so many other people here) get the time to do this as frequently and effectively as you do, when I sit to write a post it takes a day, when I have to back it up with photo reference, forget it, but your research is inspiring.
Thanks for pointing out the height discrepancy, I was always amazed at the size of this carving but as a Polynesian pop revivalist I respect them even more (now) for using the smaller hut to screw with our sense of scale, artistic license at its finest.

I’ve been digging around thru my reference for something to compare the “paw” hands to, this Massim New Guinea piece is the closest I could come up with but who knows if the fern carver ever saw it?

I was going to make a joke about the plastic rabbit being the basis of the “paws” but then it is from the right time period, so?

“Made in Hawaii” or not, after all these years of Tiki collecting I immediately take all claims, text, legends or history with a huge grain of salt. In junior high school a classmate’s mother wholesaled tourist shop stuff to Hawaii and I still vividly remember how cynical and jaded the girl was about how “all that junk comes from California”. The people that sell/sold any Polynesian pop products were doing just that, selling, the consumer bought not just the product but perhaps more importantly the illusion this thing carried. Today we love Don’s tropical drinks, a certain restaurant, designer, or carver’s creations, (even something crudely executed had the intent) because often these things were great. But in many cases they worked just as hard creating an elaborate mystique or legend that the customers would buy into. Some of the people that wrote LP liner or menu notes (for instance) were amazing, it is like reading exotica porn. ? One of the first vintage articles Sven showed me was the “Backyard Polynesia” article, in BOT pg 250 there is a partial clipping of the story. One of the Tikis was described as being “God of the barbeque” I was floored, it was such obvious BS, but so creative. It really brought home the concept that this was a “mainland” pop phenomenon and clearly someone really must have believed it. Recognizing or appreciating the poetry of it is one thing, but (to me or maybe I’m not reading enough here?) that some of these things were a lie (for lack of a better term) seems to slip under the radar here on TC. It could be when people buy into a “con” they believe it whole heartedly or maybe there is a negative connotation to it and we don’t want to focus on that? Over the years when talking to people that were involved in Tiki (first time around) it never ceases to amaze me what lengths they went to perpetuating “their” legends and how some aspects were a “secret”. Often they’ll try and get one over on me until I tell them I am actually in on it, but that they still continue to use the stories 40/50 years on gives you an idea how deeply embedded they were. Also some originators were very different people than their public persona, which makes the movement even more fascinating.

Oddly though there are parallels today (which is a whole other topic) and why or how “educated” Tiki people can’t see the obvious or can justify something absurd is astonishing, but I guess it’s why their naïve grandparents went for it back in the day?

If you read the other ads on the Pallys flyer, you’ll see some of what I am talking about, the “Authentic” New Zealand Tiki Masks or the Tahitian God of good Fortune”. It’s all amazing hokum; a detail like where the Fern Tiki actually came from is a minor issue.

Having said all of this it is quite possible that these were carved in Hawaii, the style seems to have a “Western” approach, more than things you saw coming for the Philippines or other parts of the Pacific. Economically it doesn’t seem likely and again I take all these things with a grain of salt. But all it takes is someone posting about a family member being the person who started this giant (fern) carving business in Hawaii and then what did Bosko know?

A fact I can actually add to this post; the first fern carving I consciously examined was on the Webley Edwards LP “Hawaii Island of dreams”.

Even way back when I was just starting out it was obvious the caver must have had a tremendous grasp of Tiki carving to do such a “modern” version of a Hawaiian style.

I was so inspired that I based my 6th ceramic piece on the style, for some reason people thought I was going for the Frankoma mug but it was in fact that fern Tiki.

My very best alohas,
Bosko

Post #527019 by TIKIBOSKO on Thu, Apr 29, 2010 12:40 PM