Basement Kahuna -New Maori Bone Pendant 3/04

ayyy karumba!

Here's a recently completed Marquesan bone pendant that now belongs to Onatiki..

HEy BK, I really Love these last 2 pieces, you are really doing some Nice bone work, Keep it up. Also, I agree with that "Other ben" that you should shave your head and get the full Tattoo before you start your panel. I think it will enrich the experience and produce a much better carving... Thanks Ben, good suggestion!

...and be aware of all the taboos associated with the activity of carving a Maori ancestor panel (This is a true story):

When Te Waru, chief of the Ngati Whaoa, did not heed the warnings of his Tohunga to put out his pipe while watching the carving of Rauru, the magnificent meeting house that he had commissioned in honor of his new wife, he broke the taboo. When his wife suddenly died, the work on the house stopped. After a period of mourning, and several years, Te Waru found a new wife, and resumed work on the house...
Te Waru was a young, forward thinking man who did not want to believe in the tales of the elders, and it took the death of his THIRD wife and their child to finally abandon the project.

For decades the almost finished panels and posts of the house lay in storage, until in 1897 a Swedish hotel owner from Rotorua acquired them, and had the house build by young Maori craftsmen, among them the grandson of the now deceised original builder.

But in 1900 he put it up on the market, maybe because the two old Tohunga who had performed the exorcism of the curse that lay on the house had suddenly died. The Hamburg Museum of Anthropology accquired it for the back then enormous sum of 35.000.- Reichsmark and built it's own wing for it, where it has been standing since 1910. The curse must have evaporated over time and distance, because nothing bad happened to the British officers of the occupation forces that converted it into their casino for a time after WWII, making it Hamburg's first Tiki lounge.

The moral: Don't smoke a pipe while you're carving, you might kill your wife...hmmm, does that work with ex-wives, too?

PS: Don't forget my Marquesan toggle Tiki!

[ Edited by: bigbrotiki 2006-04-16 10:37 ]

Very nice BK! How big are they?

Hi, Gap...they run on average 2 2 1/2 inches.

hey! i really like that kotiate club! it'll look good at the kon tiki this weekend!

BK, I hope I did not actually worry you with that little anecdote from Maori history, it was shared out of my fascination and love for the traditions of Tiki carving, but not to be taken serioulsy at all. They are curious, but I do not heed bad luck stories like that, be they about breaking olden taboos, or taking lava from Hawaii.

This, to clarify, has nothing to do with dis-respect for ancient attitudes, I simply feel that it is all a matter of intention. If you do something (anything) with a pure and positive intention and out of a genuine love for it, no god can punish you for it, if you smoke, drink, tatoo yourself or listen to Jimmy Buffet (the eternal sin).

That is also why I am not ashamed of my book even in front of Polynesian traditionalists, because it was done out of my genuine love for Tiki, old and new, and has done nothing but spread that love, and the culture of the Polynesian gods.

Bigbro...come on..I got it! When I read that I laughed and said "Well, I haven't made the Tipuna mad yet.." but they know I carve with a deep respect. But I definitely won't smoke a pipe while carving this next one!

As always...top notch outcome.

BigBro,,did you scare yourself LOL?? Cool I really liked the story and after reading it made up My mind to Never smoke the pipe while carving Any Maori stuff. You Never know 'bout those guyz.

BK,

Apparently, all you have to do to keep everyone safe is to remove the tapu from your workspace.

When I was at the Maori Arts & Crafts Institute, I read a sign in the student carving area that explained that the tapu had been removed from the room so that the images of the ancestors could be carved for commercial purposes without anyone being harmed.

I was fascinated by this concept and asked all of the carvers how this was achieved. Everyone was a little dodgy about the details though. :)

B00ga-dee! B00ga-dee!...WH0 Dat??
B00ga-dee! B00ga-dee!...Wwhooo Dat?
H0 Bruddah...gotta match???

Wanna see somethin' reeeally scary?!! :o

New one..

i changed my mind. i want that one. ;-P

that's very nice BK. i guess i'll have to get to the back of the line again.

Terrific. Is that fossil? For us newbie carvers, what kind of bits do you use on that? I pulled a couple of roadkill deer leg bones out of a ditch and would like to give carving them a try.

JP

On 2003-09-25 10:02, Basement Kahuna wrote:
Here is the finished Maori meeting house image. I thought it turned out nice...what do you all think? It looks like a very old piece which was my goal. Each time I tackle a Maori piece I become more and more in awe of the craftsmanship in their carvings and the power of their imagery...it blows me away. I only hope I do them any justice at all. I'm going to put a pic on a regular thread so someone besides us carving nerds can see.

[ Edited by: Basement Kahuna on 2003-09-25 10:17 ]

Tena koe e hoa, believe me BK your whakairo is taonga and represents our tikanga like you are Maori. Kia ora for your sincere aroha for our culture/tikanga.

kia kaha,

Ayden

On 2004-01-12 19:45, Basement Kahuna wrote:
Hey, thanks, Ben...coming from the awesome likes of you it means a lot. I wonder if the Taiahas they use in the Mai Kai show sre yours? Speaking of, here's the pics of the Taiaha I just finished again for this thread:

Again e hoa, your work is no different from a whakairo from home NZ. I've yet to start my Taiaha but I can't wait to get started and show you what I came up w/.

Kia kite ano, Ayden

Thanks, Ayden, and good luck. When carving, passion is everything, and you've got it, so I'm sure it will be a masterwork.

As always BK, your carvings are killer.

Here is a Manaia I just completed. This is my favorite piece personally that I've done by a longshot. The Manaia is a creature very deeply rooted in the Maori culture...I have been wearing one I purchased from the Maori bone carving guild for a very long time myself...

I have to say as well thanks to everyone for their compliments...keeps me doing what I love to do.

Very nice..as always. I really like what you are doing with the bone and fossil ivory pieces. I enjoy looking at mine every day. How are you making out with that panel??

-Gman

"The saw is family"

[ Edited by: GMAN 2006-05-20 04:24 ]

Panel won't be started until I get caught up with my warclub orders, but soon. I have 3 more clubs to complete right now, one nearly finished. Glad you like your piece! Aloha..

[ Edited by: Basement Kahuna 2006-04-21 17:40 ]

BK

Are you planning on heading into Atlanta for Trader Vic's 30th? Hope your not too backed up on your orders to make it.

Swampy.

Swamp-I'll be there Saturday at least.

See ya dar, mon.

Al0h0wdy BK,

You continue to amaze with your dexterity...it looks like bones are your craving, weapons a passion and the Maori panels a burning desire?!?!! Keep carving & showing the great workz...and as Benz once commented:

Posted: 2006-02-27 4:50 pm

"I think we should start saving our bones for you. Nice."

I agree!......ShaKa Y'aLL!!!

Flip-fl0p-flipPp....

I missed the last couple bone pieces, you are excelling yourself. Nice!
JP

BK, as always your work is amazing!
How do I get 'hold of one of these bone charms, anyway?

It's mine, Mine, MINE!!!!!!

Seriously, I just got it today and it's awesome. As much as I am DYING to show this off at T.O., I don't dare wear it, for fear of that little lanyard hoop breaking, leaving this incredible work of art to plummet to an untimely demise by shattering into a thousnd pieces of Manaia Memories. But it will look great on my wife for a photo shoot we're doing soon!

Thanks Dave; you da man!

Lee

Nicest one Dave,
TikiLee's, you could probably hang from that lanyard and it wouldn't break, so WEAR IT, it Needs thatAsk BK, that hand woven lanyary is generations old, Never breakes.

Lee, you are too uptight sometimes!
I'd get a small metal jewelry hoop to thread through and secure that. BTW, Lee, my wife and I will be in Las Vegas in July for our 10th anniversary. Maybe we can get together for a drink? And what's the name of the place where your booth is again?

As alway, BK's work is impeccable!

Glad you like it! The loop will hold fine. You'll find bone to be an amazingly strong material. Go with a nylon cord and it will hold forever. Or I can get you the raffia. 6 lbs of tensile strength per strand, when braided, is very, very strong.

This one's for big Duke Carter

Very nice! Looks like mine?!

-Gman

Hey Dave!
I love how he's clutching the little tiki in his hands a-la the Coon-Tiki Mascot!

B.T.W.; I got some hemp cord from the art store and it works great and looks totally natural with the Manaia Pendant you made me.

Thanks Again!

another beauty, bk! i like it that it's the same imagery as the one you made for me, but the designs around the mouth and eyes are different and it's holding the baby in a different position. i love how each of your creations is unique. can't wait to get my new marquesan pendant and kula kula club. i'd also like to compliment you on the marakihau and manaia pendants. there are absolutely stunning! hopefully i can get these styles someday. also one more thing; the maori meeting house panel and figure, shown earlier in this thread, are among the finest pieces i've ever laid eyes on. i don't claim to be an expert on maori art, but i know beauty when i see it. mahalo braddah!

[ Edited by: kingstiedye 2006-05-08 21:15 ]

Tena koe e hoa, believe me BK your whakairo is taonga and represents our tikanga like you are Maori. Kia ora for your sincere aroha for our culture/tikanga.

kia kaha,

Ayden

i guess you can't ask for a better compliment than that!

Hey, Thanks, G, Lee, and King...I really enjoy the bone carving. It's a nice change. Lotsa big stuff on the way, too. And Ayden's comp was one of the greatest honors I could have ever felt. I have got to travel to New Zealand someday. I have been sort of fishing around for apprenticeship programs. As an American, I kind of am at a disadvantage from the standpoint of origin and proof of my passion, but I would love to do a live/work apprenticeship under a Maori master carver. They are there in droves but rightfully mostly for Maori students. Maybe someday!

You bettah wait til after Hukilau 06 you bastage! We need to burn our fingerz a bit!! Keep it up!

Here's a Marquesan U'U for a client getting decorated as we speak..

Looking Good BK! That is probably my favorite club design, I wonder what an original would fetch at auction?

BK, that piece couldn't be more perfect (even in progress). It seems like the form follows the function with these clubs, at least in most cases. Why the spread shape at the end instead of a sharp blade?

"Ah, good taste! What a dreadful thing! Taste is the enemy of creativeness."
-Pablo Picasso

[ Edited by: Aaron's Akua 2006-05-09 22:02 ]

Thanks, guys...TM-I would imagine a 19th-century or earlier original would probably bring somewhere in the 3000-5000 range, maybe even more depending on how fine an example. Most pieces that early have a pedigreed provenance and were taken home by know missionaries or explorers. AA-I believe the head splay is representative of some sort of effigy mouth; The entire head if you look at it looks rather like a viper.

I sure love those! And your's are museum-quality, BK! One day I'm either going to carve one myself (NOT) or call you and order one. I'd probably better do it sooner than later. Ever tried one in walnut?