Post #569063 by Club Nouméa on Thu, Dec 16, 2010 9:09 PM

Thanks for the thought-provoking comments, Sven. I partly wrote those provocative (but not THAT serious) comments to see if anyone would "bite", and to get people thinking.

I am greatly interested by your definition of what constitutes "Polynesian pop" and "Tiki style" as (along with Chile) New Zealand is one of the few countries other than the United States with a dominant European population and culture where Polynesians constitute an ethnic and cultural minority, and I have been wondering why we don't have tiki bars and restaurants here (and never have had, as far as I can tell). Part of it is to do with geographical proximity: Polynesia is not an "exotic" place when you live in a country that forms part of it. Another related aspect is cultural sensitivity, while yet another part of it is to do with the fact that at the time Polynesian pop culture flourished in the United States, most New Zealanders still saw themselves as being the Englishmen of the South Seas.

The Savage Club was a complete eye-opener for me, and I am still trying to size up its cultural implications, both in relation to New Zealand, and Polynesian pop culture generally. It runs counter to my previous preconceptions of how these generations of white New Zealanders tended to publicly interact with Polynesian culture.

My initial impression is that when it was formed, the Savage Club actually had little to do directly with the local Maori community here, which very much makes its existence just as paradoxical and out of place as the existence of a "Polynesian-style" dining establishment like Trader Vic's in Oakland. And the idea of local Europeans dressing up in Maori ceremonial costume etc. and getting together in this hall still seems extremely bizarre. This is a whole chapter in New Zealand's cultural history that most New Zealanders know nothing about, in addition to which the club's existence does seem to have wider implications when viewed alongside the cultural developments outlined in your books, even if it occurred in isolation from what happened in mid-century North America.

I would contend that there is a distinct tiki culture in New Zealand that is not necessarily authentic, and may even be despised by Maori for its lack of authenticity. The Savage Club offers a prime example.

So if anyone else has any thoughts, please feel free to contribute.

CN

Toto, j'ai l'impression que nous ne sommes plus au Kansas !

[ Edited by: Club Nouméa 2010-12-17 00:13 ]

[ Edited by: Club Nouméa 2010-12-17 00:15 ]