Post #747447 by bigbrotiki on Mon, Jul 20, 2015 8:00 AM

Ha! Thank You so much Andrea for sharing and explaining further! Now it all begins to make sense. So Andi Bumatai the Hawaiian comedian IS related to Andres Bumatay!

Your dad's story is a great example how there are artistic talents slumbering in many of us: He definitely had a unique carving style that set his Tikis apart from all the others made at that time. It now seems that before and after his work in California, he mostly used his talent for private, personal occasions.

If you "personal message" me your address here on Tiki Central, I will be happy to send you my first book, the Book of Tiki, that has a little page about him in it. Published in 2000, it sparked the interest in his work and person, and in general in American Tiki as a veritable art form.

It seems that while here in L.A., he worked sometimes together with Richard Ellis, a carver and stuntman. Both of their styles intermingled a bit. They are said to have carved the poles for the Polynesian Village apartments in Playa del Rey, the Kona Kai Apts in Rosemead and the Kona Pali Apts in Granada Hills (all L.A.)

I really like the variety of concepts and forms that they used on those poles, here is a series of photos I took over the years ( the Polynesian Village Apts have been razed since):

Polynesian Village Apts:

(Vintage photos)

Kona Kai Apts:

Kona Pali Apts:

These carvings perfectly unite the elements of American Tiki style: Modernism, cartoony, and original Polynesian influences come together in a new art form! :)

[ Edited by: bigbrotiki 2015-07-20 09:15 ]