Post #798437 by JasonMa on Mon, Nov 4, 2019 6:01 PM

An interesting new article and podcast from The Atlantic touches on this cultural appropriation discussion at the end of it, in a way that I felt was very well-balanced. The end of the podcast has an interview with Kalewa Correa, a professor at UH and the Curator at the Smithsonian's Asia Pacific American Center.

I thought he had a good take on tiki, its position as an American movement that is influenced by but does not replicate Polynesia culture, and where there are specific issues with cultural appropriation. He ha two areas that concerned him as a native Hawai'ian (and he was clear that he only spoke as a Hawai'ian, not for all Polynesian cultures). First, the hypersexualization of Polynesian woman in tiki artwork. That concern doesn't seem particularly controversial or problematic.

Second, the use of Polynesian gods in tiki carvings, as an example he pointed out the Hawai'ian god of war, Ku, and the use of his image in everything from carvings to mugs. His point, and I thought this is really where he nailed it, is that he understands that American tiki is a fantasy based on the South Pacific, not a recreation of the South Pacific, but in that case tiki carvers and mug designers should come up with their own imagery and not use the images from a belief system that's still somewhat practiced.

Personally I thought those were two very reasonable takes on the idea of tiki and cultural appropriation. He didn't call the whole tiki movement problematic . He didn't say people can't enjoy the fantasy of tiki. He just challenged people to consider two specific types of common representation in tiki and think about changing those two aspects while keeping everything else. That seems like a understandable request.

https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2019/10/rise-and-fall-and-rise-american-tiki-bar/600691/