A Collection of Cannibals - Collecting Tiki

B bigbrotiki Tiki Socialite Tiki Island, above the Silverlake Joined: Mar 25, 2002 Posts: 11621	B bigbrotiki Posted posted on Fri, Apr 12, 2013 12:04 PM Buzzy, thanks for your "experienced wood worker" perspective! My sole thinking of "why not done in Tahiti if machine-carved" was based on the fact that the majority of Tikis for sale to tourists in Tahiti up until the 60s were hand-carved, so: Not hand-carved = Not carved in Tahiti. Which, as you pointed out, is way oversimplifying the matter. You are right, who says there weren't lathes used in Tahiti then. I still also want to know if the basic concept of the Cannibal carvings had roots in some traditional pieces that did not survive the missionaries, or if they were conceived as "whimsical" tourist carvings to begin with.

Buzzy, thanks for your "experienced wood worker" perspective! My sole thinking of "why not done in Tahiti if machine-carved" was based on the fact that the majority of Tikis for sale to tourists in Tahiti up until the 60s were hand-carved, so: Not hand-carved = Not carved in Tahiti.

Which, as you pointed out, is way oversimplifying the matter. You are right, who says there weren't lathes used in Tahiti then.

I still also want to know if the basic concept of the Cannibal carvings had roots in some traditional pieces that did not survive the missionaries, or if they were conceived as "whimsical" tourist carvings to begin with.

Post #674202 by bigbrotiki on Fri, Apr 12, 2013 12:04 PM