Post #780296 by Tiki Republic on Wed, Oct 4, 2017 7:11 PM

Newest member of the Tiki Republic.

This is a hand carved Hawaiian tiki from Mexican Fan Palm. Like many of the tikis you see displayed in the islands, this is a tiki complete with the tribal designs on the back.

On the front is a tiki face. Tikis generally represent protection. I gave this one a large nose for sniffing, meaning it can sense danger before seeing it.

On the back is a large tribal design at the top resembling an upside down bush. This is the Hawaiian symbol for royalty.

The row of small curls symbols are named Koru. Koru represent harmony and new beginnings.

Polynesians highly regard the ocean as their final destination when they pass away, therefore the ocean can represent death and the afterlife. The ocean has a dual meaning in that it also represents a food source, fertility, and persistence. The ocean is the complete lifecycle.

The Spearheads are common images used to express courage, dominance and willpower.

When the tribal designs a placed adjacent to one another they create greater meanings.

I consider myself a student of tiki and of Polynesian tatu. I have a lot of friends from the Hawaiian islands, Tonga, Samoa, New Zealand the Philippines and more. Learning as much as I can about the different islands keeps me continually searching for accurate information. As asked, I then try to pass that information along to educate the masses in what they're looking at when they see my tikis. Anything less is disrespect to all of them.

You can find me at http://www.tikirepublic.com, on fb as Tiki Republic by Pierre Mosley and I'll post the tikis here as well.

Mahalo, Pierre