Post #91740 by AquaZombie on Tue, May 18, 2004 11:59 AM

Baby Doe ROCKS!!!

Without Otto and his cohorts, there would be no "tiki revival" today, at least as we know it, as a thriving subculture, so I bow to their hard work in keeping it alive, and don't question their efforts, because I know their objectives are simple (and successful): a good time for like-minded people. Anything they offer us is like an oasis in this pop culture wasteland we find ourselves lost in these days.

Let's also keep in mind that ALL of us are gleefully and innocently bastardizing the original Polynesian religions that spawned our urban pagan rituals, so to say this is "tiki" and that is "not tiki" is highly subjective, and we would all be open to ridicule in the islands for even contemplating a "tiki oasis" of any sort in Palm Springs. When we were in Hawaii and I told them about the stateside obsession with tiki, the locals laughed at me. To them, tiki is just a part of their natural landscape, nothing to celebrate. It's only "exotic" to us Caucasian mo'fo's (primarily).

Some Asian babe was grilling me about the "meaning" and "point" of Tiki Oasis at Sherman's Deli in PS (highly recommended, by the way) and I tried to explain it to her, that it's a celebration of Polynesian pop culture, not South Sea pagan religions per se. "So it's for Asians?" she asked me. "Um, not really," I answered truthfully. "It's more of a white thing." "I didn't know white people had their own culture!" she exclaimed. "They don't - that's the point," I said, and that was my best shot at explaining the allure of tiki to non-Polynesians. Most Americans of all stripes assume their culture by osmosis, and since this is a boiling pot, many different ingredients will get in the mix, and this includes Tiki. At least from my perspective - I am not trying to speak for anyone else or the "movement" as a whole, these are just my own thoughts on the subject.

So no matter how many fire eaters and hula dancers you add to Tiki Oasis, it won't be "authentic" tiki - it will be our own continuation of the midcentury playboy/suburbanite version of forbidden tropical delights, which of course includes scantily clad dancers. It's the guilt-free sensuality of the island lifestyle that attracts so many of us hedonistic mainlanders anyway, I believe.

I mean, for instance, I love the Hollywood/exotica version of Voodoo, but Haitians will tell you they never stick pins in dolls and most of their "black magic" is used for healing, not raising the dead or seeking revenge. Still, I prefer movies like "I Eat Your Skin" and Robert Drasnin's "Voodoo" Lp over the actual deal. But I ackowledge it is fabricated fantasy. "Voodoo" rituals and emblems are often part of Tiki culture, as we enjoy it, but neither are true to their historical origins. And so what?

Defining "tiki' is like defining "film noir" - you know it when you see it, but it's a genre born of pop cultural interpretation, not purity of expression, so it's difficult to be definitive when describing or reveling in it. That's just how I choose to see it. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions on this or any subject. Them's my two pesos.