Post #750450 by bigbrotiki on Mon, Sep 7, 2015 10:58 AM

Hi there, Sven Kirsten here - I think you already did a fine job with your response, particularly this part:

"...Tiki culture was a large part of 1940s-70s American culture, closely related to Rockabilly roots, and a large part of my own personal history. I am celebrating my own personal history and culture…."

Except maybe for the "closely related to Rockabilly roots" part :) - How much Rockabilly, Hot Rod, Fezzes and Burlesque culture play into Tiki Pop is a point of contention among Tiki purists and those who are not.

The key point is that we are re-enacting and thus honoring the social traditions of our own elders. Polynesian style was adopted by them out of a love and fascination for Hawaii and the South Seas, as paying homage to Polynesia - not as means to appropriate or degrade the original culture.

That one culture becomes fascinated by another culture has happened since the trade routes brought foreign wares from one continent to another (PIZZA might not be the best example :wink: ), and it WILL happen in the future - with little regard to absolute "authenticity", I'm afraid. That's part of the fun of it.