Rare Tiki?

I was wondering if anyone could identify this.

It was purchased about 4-5 years ago at a "Bizarre" store. It was a store pretty much with rare collectibles.

I was told some information about it when I bought it. All they said was that this wooden Tiki man was made by an actual tribe to ward off evil spirits. It is very brittle and the wood is cracking all over, it seems like it could break very easily.

Hi,
That particular Tiki is actually quite common. It originates from Bali & can be seen as candle holders, cd racks & even on a surfboard. They range from very small to a version of that one you're showing that's about 2 1/2' tall.

[ Edited by: makedamug 2007-05-28 17:22 ]

Are they usually crafted by real tribes? How much are they worth?

Not sure if by a particular tribe but they are mass produced/carved. They can be found from I believe around $10 to approximately $75 for the big fellow. I recall seeing some life size ones a few years ago at Sea Word that were fetching $200 each.

these things are very common in Australia due to the high number of Aussies that travel to Bali.. There are many stores that sell Indo (Indonesian, not the other indo) stuff and i would expect to pay around $10 for something like that even less in Bali, However there is always the chance that it is an actual old artifact rather than a souvenir but no real way to tell..

I honestly don't think its a souvenir, only because the type of store it was purchased in. The shop sold it as a "one of a kind" type things, there wasn't more than one there. There was pretty much no duplicates of anything there because the stuff wasn't mass produced. Are you able to show a link of one of the tiki sculptures you are talking about so I can see if it resembles it?

Yeah, common as dirt around here too. I see them mostly in hippie or trying-to-be-young-urban-hipster type stores (like Urban Outfitters). I occasionally see them in an antique booth trying to pass it off as tribal or old.

Maybe a tribe in Bali (??) does make them....but not to ward off evil spirits, I'd wager. To make money off exporting them, yes. (Do tribes per se still exist in Bali?)

But maybe this was an original/original version? Maybe? maybe....maybe....
F

Here's one racing a canoe. $11.99.

http://www.tikioutlet.com/product/IWKB520

-Gman

Here you go. I googled "tiki" and "CD rack":

http://www.balifurnish.com/assorted-balinese-handicrafts-7-more-candlenut-carvings.html

(go 1/3 down the page to see big bottle holder)

[ Edited by: Formikahini 2007-05-28 18:01 ]

It weighs around 10-15 pounds. The hair is thick and is like horse tail/a broom. The hair also has bits of dirt and leaves in it. (came like that when I bought it)

The people definitely said it was used to ward off evil spirits, of course I don't believe in them, but they just said that the tribes used it for that. They could have said more about it but this was so long ago.

Byberry, I have some land in Florida I would like to sell you.

:|

..sb

no thanks, sorry. I just want to know about my tiki man.

Here's one riding a primitive tribal Harley.....$11.99

http://www.tikioutlet.com/product/IWKB534

-G

Those are all minis, where are the ones that are bigger?

30" tall

http://www.tikimaster.com/product/T6201

-G

Do you have a "Black Market Minerals" store near you? They have racks and racks of those style statues with a range of very small to up to 4' or so.

Nope, I've never heard of that store before.

Did you pay a lot of $$ for it?

-G

Found some carvings on www.mystika.com (need to scroll down the page a little)--similar style as yours. Click links below for larger pix:

Large Sitting Statue:

Ashat Warrior w/Spear:

It was about $40-$50

On 2007-05-28 16:58, Byberry1 wrote:
I was wondering if anyone could identify this.

It was purchased about 4-5 years ago at a "Bizarre" store. It was a store pretty much with rare collectibles.

I was told some information about it when I bought it. All they said was that this wooden Tiki man was made by an actual tribe to ward off evil spirits. It is very brittle and the wood is cracking all over, it seems like it could break very easily.

You can't honestly be serious...Pier 1 and Cost Plus World Market are full of this junk. It was made in a factory "mass-carving shed" by an actual Lombok tribesman (maybe) who likely: lives in a cold-water flat in Bali, smokes Luckies and sings Karioke every night when he gets off work. It's about as tiki as government cheese, (not to say I'm certain there is some latent pundit around here who could abstract it six ways from sunday to make it so). The only reason for this carving is to ward off the evil spirit of being broke for a Bali factory carver. The reason for the cracking? They carve green, unseasoned wood because it is softer, cheaper to obtain, and they can spit more of these out in a day. As soon as it leaves the shipping container and hits the dry air of the U.S.-Presto Cracko! That's the non-honey-coated truth.

well i guess that pretty well clears that up (dusts off hands)..lol

Hahahaha! :lol: :lol:
Way to let him down gently, BK!!

Bright side, Byberry: you seem to have paid the standard retail store price for your piece.
Bad side: your "Bizarre" store lies like a rug.
Worse side: your piece is not imbued with the capacity to ward off evil spirits...nor even jokes from us :wink:

Brightest side: you've stumbled onto Tiki Central, where you can learn about what pieces really are worth buying or find a carver to commission to carve you something truly worth the money (which as you can tell, we don't feel like you did 4-5 years ago!).

Welcome! Tell us more about yourself (other than the fact that you're going to go and give those lying sods at "Bizarre" a piece of your mind tomorrow!).
Formikahini

It is alright. I wasn't expecting it to be worth much and the $40 doesn't really matter to me. I only bought it because it looked cool and I wondered if it could have been a legit piece. I don't believe in evil spirits though, that didn't have to do with why I bought it. The store is in NY, I just remember it being named "Bizarre". It was a pretty cool store though!

Ive recieved 3 of these as gifts from friends and family who visited venice beach for the day and thought I might like them cuzz they seem to look like tikis.But I realy cant stand them,there ugly, and lame, I find them all over and wish they would go away...I wouldnt let you pay me, ten bucks to take it from you...this is a good reason for joining TC, you can now learn from your mistake and not get ripped off by a shister store owner pawning sumthing off as authentic,old,or having magical powers. Next time just post a pic here before a purchase and TC will give you the info you need on real Tiki, antique or otherwise...

On 2007-05-28 22:06, Byberry1 wrote:
... I only bought it because it looked cool and I wondered if it could have been a legit piece. I don't believe in evil spirits though, that didn't have to do with why I bought it. The store is in NY, I just remember it being named "Bizarre".

Oh I agree, it is a very legit piece! And I do believe it wards off evil spirits! It's funny, I just got a very similar piece as a gift from a Crown Prince that I helped out. He had sent me a e-mail asking for my help in claiming his lottery winnings in Ivory Coast Africa. He was so thankful that I helped him that he sent me one and explained the evil spirit thing. Oh yeah, give me your e-mail address, I have a emergency e-mail to forward you, if you reply to 7 people in the next 10 min. 100 puppies will be saved. Don't listen to these other people, they just don't believe.

JIM. This carving of which you speak, it was originally created to ward off evil spirits.

FRED. But, I don't have any evil spirits in my house!

JIM. See? It works!

Well, it's certainly "tiki" to me, be it mass produced from Bali or wherever. (As if tiki mugs weren't massed produced in the 1950s & 60s?).
They sell them all over the place here in Waikiki. I actually think they're kind of cool..except for the ones riding motorcycles or screwing each other. I actually almost bought a CD rack one..I thought that was pretty cool.
I don't own any of these types yet, but I suppose I should pick one up before the carvers in Bali, Philippines, etc., etc. turn to a new style. I am seeing fewer of this style lately.
Hey, I mean, if it makes you happy to believe it was carved by a long lost tribe of islanders exiled from Krakatoa, all the happier. I mean, what's Christmas without Santa Claus.

BLOODY HELL! Hasn't anyone noticed?? The chain is missing from around it's neck!!! Get out of the ruddy house NOW...RUN!!!...Don't look back!!!! JUST RUN LIKE THE WIND!!!!!!

Trader Jim - Make mine Mai-Tai & a late night showing of Trilogy of Terror!!

I first saw one of these in a thrift store about 2 years ago, and it really looked old and somewhat delicate. I eventually passed because, well, I just don't really like it all that much. Since then I've been glad that I did, as I've seen this same guy ALL OVER the place in various sizes and configurations (ie, on a surfboard). I even saw some that were about 3 feet tall or so at an antique store, but by that time I had figured that they weren't rare.

Chris

Nothing wrong with buying something you personally like. I'll confess that when I was very young I was told by a dealer at an antique mall that a piece I was admiring was a genuine Mayan artifact. I didn't pay a lot for it, but the point is, I believed him.

I went on a job interview the next day and when the guy asked me about my hobbies, I sat up straight and proud and told him I collected Pre Columbian artifacts. "As a matter of fact, I just acquired one yesterday." I said with an air of sophistication. He raised one eyebrow and said, "Reeeally?" Needless to say, I didn't get the job.