Tiki, Islander, Beachcomber, Polynesian... Similarities? Differences?

While I have some time thanks to an ugly bought of the flu, I figured I'd summon the energy to post a little query.

I've noticed some very heated debates of what is and isn't tiki.

But then thinking of The various menus with nary a tiki in sight, and plenty
of what appears to be port-auprince/Caribbean imagery I began to think this needed to be discussed.

Now before I go on, I should state that I'm a fan of all of the styles that I am about to open up to discussion.

But here goes.

What are the differences between

Tiki

Beachcomber

Polynesian Pop

and

Islander?

I ask because I think that there are distinct if sometimes subtle differences between them.

Are there other sub categories or genres that generally get swept into the "Tiki" Category?

And I'm not saying they don't belong there. I know this could either end up as a heated debate or a ghost town topic. Either way My mind is puzzling over these various genres.

And where do they overlap.

Sorry if this has been discussed elsewhere. To sick to type this and do a search.

Elucidate, elaborate, but don't expectorate.

TG
http://www.exotic-tiki-gardens.com

[ Edited by: TikiGardener 2007-04-27 14:17 ]

Heyyyy...!!!!! :) :) :) Hahaha... Tiki Snob here, sweeping in again, never tiring, for the 10th time, before anybody can muddle up this subject:

This is PURELY from the perspective of the BOOK OF TIKI (some dusty old tome, outdated by the new FUN way of Tiki FUN...)

As defined by the Polynesian Pop Evolution chart on page 46 of said book, POLYNESIAN POP is the overall term for a 20th Century pop culture aiming to depict the mythical SOUTH SEAS (not only-but mainly- Polynesian) PARADISE.

Beachcomber style is a sub-genre of Polynesian Pop.

Trader Style is a sub-genre of Polynesian Pop.

Tiki Style is the most shining, elaborate sub-genre of Polynesian Pop.

Tiki Modern (!!!? what the...!?) is Pop Primitivism mixed with modernism.

Don't know about ISLANDER style, that sounds too much like pirates and Margharita-ville, and I don't go there... :)

I went into a "tiki bar" way up in Bay City Mi. a while back. I was out in uncharted territory on a mug hunt and saw this place and couldn't believe my eyes. I went in and couldn't believe my eyes. One tiki and the entire rest of the bar was Buffet and reggae. These people had no idea what a tiki bar is. The line wasn't blurred it was eraced. I my view some of the styles could mix and match in the right way. TIKI in the wrong hands can leave a bad taste in your mouth.

So what's the difference between Beachcomber and Trader styles?

Beachcomber:
Fishnet floats, sea shells, driftwood signs, puffer fish, found objects...and things that say Don The Beachcomber on it :)

Trader:
Nautical shit, port lights, bottles, barrels, baskets, bundles and crates, ships wheels,...and things that say Trader Vic on it :)

...now BEACHCOMBERS sometimes used to TRADE objects like POLYNESIAN WEAPONS and TIKI CARVINGS with TRADERS....and that's where it gets complicated :D

[ Edited by: bigbrotiki 2007-04-27 15:15 ]

Now this is some good discussion.

But I would add that to me, Islander could go a couple of ways.

It could refer to The Hawaiian Islands, or the general overarching idae of the Pacific Islands ( which would include Micronesia, Polynesia, and all the other "nesias") OR it could refer to the Islands as in Tortuga, Haiti, Jamaica etc, or as in my high school, it could refer to the Easter Islanders.

See "I Was An Islander"
http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=18378&forum=1&hilite=Islander

A further sub genre of it would include KEY WEST ISLANDER. Which might also include Buffet stuff.

Maybe some could post some definitive shots of each style for future new members and to allow everyone to view the styles.

TG
http://www.exotic-tiki-gardens.com

Scott, alas, I fear the "definitive shots of each style" exist only in theory, as the lines of separation between the styles are supposed to be artfully blurred, in order to create the very thing, Polynesian Pop!

My very Germanic definition of Polynesian Pop and its sub-genres is like the Kon-Tiki theory: It HAS the ring of truth, but not the exclusive right to it.

On 2007-04-27 15:13, bigbrotiki wrote:

Trader:
Nautical shit,

I heard one of Captain James Cook's went for 10,000 dollars on auction last year. It did have a fossilized worm in it so it crossed over to the palaeontology crowd, maybe that is why.

wouldn't a "fishnet float" count as a Trader object as well as a Beach comber object? It is Nautical is it not? It's very intriguing how all of these sub categories can all fit together so tightly while it always seems like they're always so different. very interesting.

Indeed. Then there is the whole is Bahooka a tiki bar or a nautical bar...?

When I created the concept of the Kona Luanii (my personal 'tiki' bar), I intentionally mixed serevel different themes into my overall concept. I didn't want just tiki, the beachcomber and trader concept really appeal to me, so I created a fictious sailing ship that delivered 'Poly Pop' cargo to establishemnts across the US. Using this overall theme, I can use any type of decor style and still refer to it as my 'tiki bar'.

In fact, I state in the sign at the entrance to my space that several themes are mixed.

The Wreck of the Kona Luanii

Trader, Beachcomber, Mixologist, Man of Adventure. Singapore Sal was all that and more.

In the tradition of his famous mentors, Ernest Beaumont-Gantt, Victor Bergeron and Stephen Crane, Sal sailed the ‘KONA LUANII’ to some of the United States’ most exotic outposts transporting tropical libations, exotic Tiki Gods and beachcombed wares.

From the shores of Palm Springs to the ragged reefs of Columbus, he sailed to the most elaborate Tiki Temples to have ever existed, including excursions to Anaheim, Las Vegas, Ft. Lauderdale, Phoenix, Detroit and ports beyond.

March 1968. During a trading expedition from her home port of Bali Hai on Shelter Island to Tommy Wong's Island in Denver, Colorado, the KONA LUANII was lost in a snow storm along the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains. The wreck was salvaged in 1987 and the goods and trinkets now reside here in the personal collection of ZuluMagoo, a contemporary Polynesian Pop preservationist.

Aloha & Welcome Aboard !

I think this story will tie together all of the elements that will be found in the bar. It will have a heavy nautical/shipwreck element in addition to a tiki/South Seas environment.

Some more pics

Salvaged ship's sail - Nautical style with Poly Pop font

Ships Mast - Nautical style
Fishnets from the ceiling - Beachcomber style

Barrel from ceiling - Trader style
Tiki Room tribute corner - Tiki style

Rigging - Nautical style
Crates/ barrels - Trader style, but crates full of tikis - what the hell style is this??? I don't know, but I like it.

I call the Bahooka a tiki bar, but I am using that term in a broad sense. Anyway, I still love the place and try to visit every time I travel out to SoCal.

Great topic for a thread TG.

In order of appearence:

JM- That Cptn Cook info is hilarious....."cross-over", huh?.... :lol:

Pocky- Fishnet floats are the very essence of Beachcomber style. The whole fashion of using fishnet floats as decor pieces and later as lamps comes from the beaches of Hawaii, where people began BEACHCOMBING fishnet floats torn loose by storms off fishing nets on the Japanese coast, which then had drifted over to Hawaiian shores.

Tiki Gardener- Bahooka is really Beachcomber style, with some Trader, and very little Tiki. Which is NOT a value judgment and should not inhibit the appreciation of the place!

Mike-I totally agree with and dig your concept for you home bar. To be called such, a Tiki bar should have Tikis and Oceanic artifacts in it--but not ONLY that. Beachcomber and Trader items are important to mend it all into a complete illusion. Many of us collect Tiki carvings and Tiki mugs obsessively, and my house is chock full of them, but lining 100 Tikis up against a wall does not make a Tiki Bar, it is more a Tiki Museum. A South Seas traveler concept, like it was expounded in many menus, leaves room for much more varied exotic decor. It is all a matter of balance and personal taste.

Please bear in mind that these categories mentioned above were born out of the research for the BOT. They are based on a historic time line. The are not meant to downgrade a style, just to differentiate. I simply observed that A) there was very little Tiki around in Polynesian Pop in the 20s, 30s, and 40s, and B) that the two dominant chains founded in those times (Don and Vic) did not utilize Tikis as logos even in the 50, when the heyday of Tiki came. The Beachcomber never, and Trader Vic's notably introduced Tikis only then, during the 50s, not before. All these observations serve to define and differentiate the genre of TIKI STYLE, when the Tiki became Polynesian Pop's primary icon.

Just as the fact that in the 70s Tikis began to get painted with garish colors, and beer neon signs were hung in Tiki Bars, was a sign of the times.

So when I talk about Beachcomber style or Tiki devolution, I am referring to historic facts.

Now I'm sure this question has been asked several times and is very old, but I ask anyways. Is there such thing as a Jungle Trader bar? Sort of like an exotic outpost, filled with "exotic goods"? Sorry if this is an odd question. I was just curious. To be more specific. Think of the Jungle cruise. Are there bars in the US like that?

No, this question has never been asked, and no, that specific theme mixture has not been done as far as I know.

"Trader" and "Jungle" go together, yes, but for my taste "Jungle" goes too far into the African/South-American realm. Please don't come with "the South Seas has jungles" arguments now, we all know that, it is again a matter of degree and balance. There obviously is "Jungle" crossover because there has to be an ample amount of either fake or real tropical foliage in a good Tiki Bar...and ideally, a waterfall.

don't forget the ideal smoking, lava flowing volcano in the backdrop. :D