Post #569246 by bigbrotiki on Sat, Dec 18, 2010 10:27 AM

OK, kids, here he comes again, the stickler, the party pooper, the fun spoiler, the German nitpicker who TELLS you how YOU should THINK and DO, lest you are UNCOOL -right?:

As many here know, I react sensitively when I see it written as fact that such and such things "are" Tiki. There has been way too much commercial crap on e-bay and out in the marketplace and on blogs that has been proclaimed to be "Tiki" without having a shred of it in it, and these kind of generalizations are weakening Tiki as a distinct art form.

So let's start from scratch: Basically, simply, mainly Tikis ARE Tiki, and yes, we all know that. THEN, there are many other things that are PART OF Tiki STYLE. And yes, they are primarily but NOT necessarily ALL from Polynesia, because as we have established, Tiki style is a fantasy world inhabited by many other characters and elements from the Tropics, and the tropical jungle.

Of these elements, animals are a difficult bunch to discern in general. Case in point, the parrot: Yes, parrots have been gloriously immortalized and imbedded into Tiki culture by the master of fantasy, Walt Disney, himself. BUT the parrot also has been amply used and abused as the emblem of the "adulterator" (innocently so, but nevertheless) of Tiki culture, Jimmy Buffet. The case of Jimmy Buffet is a good example how the use of GENERIC tropicalia should be exercised in moderation, lest they "water down" what makes Tiki style unique and differentiates it from other pop culture genres. I am afraid the Toucan has suffered a similar fate of being a more generic symbol of the tropics. Which does not say that having a live specimen in your home lounge is probably one of the coolest things you could feature.

The same goes for monkeys: Monkeys are wedded to Tiki culture by having been used as emblems in PRE-Tiki Polynesian pop, in a manner similar that Tikis were in Tiki style. But that fact really makes them non-Tiki in essence- albeit part of its history. So, if used in moderation, they fit as part of the Polynesian pop story, especially if someone favors the 30s/40s "Pago Pago" lounge look. The Sugie's Tropics cocktail menu hanging in my kitchen is one of my favorite pieces of paper ephemera.

The best argument to incorporate tropical fauna into Tiki style are the carvings of the many animal species from New Guinea's jungles, case in point the Steve Crane bird bowl, the Kona Kai outrigger bird, and other bird and crocodile carvings. Looking at their spare use in mid-century Tiki style in comparison to other Oceanic art forms though, they are also just an added asset, and cannot be said to embody "Tiki".

Carry on. :D