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Meaning of the open mouth on tiki carvings?

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Const Tiki posted on 05/28/2010

I have been trying to figure out the significance or meaning of an open mouth on a tiki carving. Does anyone know? I looked at the Bishop Museum web site, but it didn't offer any explanations. And does is mean different things on different carvings?

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TikiG posted on 05/28/2010

INTIMIDATION!
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[ Edited by: TikiG 2010-05-28 14:08 ]

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WestADad posted on 05/28/2010

"Thirsty, want kava bowl!!"

Chris

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Unga Bunga posted on 05/28/2010

Choking on cocktail umbrella

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MadDogMike posted on 05/29/2010

Standing in hot lava :D

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Atomic Tiki Punk posted on 05/29/2010

Got to get your Haka on!

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Atomic Tiki Punk posted on 05/29/2010

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beadtiki posted on 05/29/2010

First step in inserting foot!

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RevBambooBen posted on 05/29/2010

too much acidic food!

or

too much starch....

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hiltiki posted on 05/29/2010

I think the best person to answer this question would be Soccer Tiki. :)

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bananabobs posted on 05/29/2010

On 2010-05-28 21:02, hiltiki wrote:
I think the best person to answer this question would be Soccer Tiki. :)

I don't think so...have you noticed that since he got married, he can't open his mouth any more?

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Const Tiki posted on 06/30/2010

I've got an answer to the question courtesy of the Bishop Museum. The open mouth on Ku (tiki) stautes are actually functional. People would string offerings onto a cord and then hang it from the mouth of the statue.

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tikihai posted on 06/30/2010

The tongue sticking out in most Polynesian cultures is equivalent to us flipping the bird. It is a sign of disrespect and a challenge.

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GROG posted on 06/30/2010

This thread is about the open mouth on tikis. The "tongue sticking out" thread is here: http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=23960&forum=13

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TikiPug posted on 07/01/2010

Tiki at the dentist?

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Haole Jim posted on 07/03/2010

Umbrella fruit drinks make them...

...Burp!

Pages: 1 15 replies