Post #89083 by Rattiki on Fri, Apr 30, 2004 5:52 AM

Hmmmm... Well BigBro I can see what you are saying, but then again there is not a lot of logic to it. This piece is MOST definitiely a Banuae piece and costs a dollar or two at the most there. Personally I am not crazy about it (albeit I own one) because it is just a bad cheesy design. The Infugao do have many gods that they worship and they have traditionally carved them out of wood to guard their rice fields, homes etc from bad spirits. I have several of their own 'tiki' (style) gods on and around my front door that were actually used in peoples homes and are well weathered from that use. The Infugao were headhunters and I believe cannibalistic as well at one time. So I can't see how an Ifugao carver that carves his own Gods for the same reasons as the Polynesians and other South Pacific cultures (of which they border on) would not know what the Poly-Pop 'Gods' were about. They certainly would have more direct knowledge of mana then say, some guy in South Carolina ripping through cypress with a chain saw! :wink: I think this is more about the badly done, cheesy design then anything else.

Also, as you said, the Philippinos were a very intrigal part of the Poly-Pop movement. The P.I. were also part of the Pacific territories we held (and mostly still hold, as they are one of the few we let go). The dream of Eden on Earth, or 'Bali Hai', of the returning WWII servicemen was built as much on their experiences there, as it was in the rest of the tropical Pacific and Polynesia. So it makes sense there would be Tikis (real and commercial) coming out of there, and they probably have been for up to 50+ years.

Bali/Indonesia/Indochina is of course a VERY different story as their cultures were heavily influnced by their name sakes, India and China, and it shows in their work.

[ Edited by: Rattiki on 2004-04-30 06:06 ]