kapu kai

I am new to tiki central. I was looking for information in regards to the Kapu Kai that was destroyed in the floods in 1969 in Cucamonga. I lived behind the Kapu Kai. I read from the posts from the son that some of the tiki's and fountains were stolen. I have been working on the history of Alta Loma and Cucamonga and was looking for pictures. During my search I found two pictures from a man on flicker stating he had a fountain from the Kapu Kai. I found the son of the owner of the Kapu Kai but have no contacted him yet. I'm here to ask you what you would do?

Aloha,

Don't know if you checked this thread for Kapu Kai info.

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=5980&forum=1&hilite=kapu kai

I would let the Kapu Kai family know about the photos you found of of the old Witco fountain from the Kapu Kai, I am sure they would love to see them.

DC

I wonder about that claim of the origin of that fountain. It would be interesting to find out more specific info. The main Tikis in and outside the building were carved by Milan Guanko, and Oceanic Arts outfitted the rest of the place with decor. And in all the photos I have seen of Kapu Kai interiors I have not noticed one piece of Witco.

I voice my doubts because I have seen dealers claiming that their Witco fountain hailed from Stephen Crane's Luau, which clearly never saw a piece of Witco wood inside its rattan-covered walls.

I know this owner is not aiming to sell his fountain, but the fact remains that almost no Polynesian restaurant in L.A. in the 60s had to rely on Witco decor. They had a slew of local carvers and their works available to them. During Tiki Style's heyday, the folks at Oceanic Arts looked at Witco as "tacky" and cheap - an understandable stance which I hope to have relativated somewhat with my work since. :)

If Kapu Kai son and his mom are still around here, they would be able to verify the existence of the fountain in their family establishment.

I, Zombie is a member here. Hopefully he can chime in. I've sent him a PM.

Those pictures were actually posted by Mr. Bali Hai in his blog "Eye of the Goof" (which is sadly ending this year). Maybe he can chime in on the story of the Kapu Kai Witco.

DC

Mrs. Kahala and I made the "Kapa Kai" salad dressing many times. Yum, yum!

On 2012-01-08 21:14, Dustycajun wrote:
Those pictures were actually posted by Mr. Bali Hai in his blog "Eye of the Goof" (which is sadly ending this year). Maybe he can chime in on the story of the Kapu Kai Witco.

Yup, that's me (back when I used to be skinny). I really don't know anything other than what I, Zombie told us at the party. He sunk a lot of money into restoring that beauty. Well spent, I think.

Why does I, zombie have a fountain and the kapu kai family was never able to recover anything?

On 2012-01-09 22:27, vintagelaace wrote:
Why does I, zombie have a fountain and the kapu kai family was never able to recover anything?

If you think this fountain was stolen from the Kapu Kai you might want to back that up with some hard evidence before you start making vague insinuations that I, Zombie is guilty of purchasing stolen goods, especially since there's no concrete proof that this fountain actually came from the Kapu Kai. I believe that Witco sold these fountains out of their catalog, so it's just as likely it was originally purchased by an entirely different business, or even a private individual.

[ Edited by: mrbalihai 2012-01-10 03:53 ]

Just to clarify, I am also not saying that I am certain that fountain never stood at the Kapu Kai. Witco was the only company that offered such a variety of large Tiki fountains, so it could have been the only Witco item in there. It still would surprise me though, for the reasons I mentioned above.

And the reasons of how and why who ends up with what after the closure of a Tiki temple are usually mysterious and greatly vary. In the dark times before the Tiki Revival, artifacts more often than not disappeared to the great elephant graveyard of forgotten styles (sort of a clothes dryer sock "black hole") forever. Rarely, single pieces re-surfaced after years. If they were saved at all, sometimes the contractors who got the job to destroy the Polynesian palace kept a few things for their own use, and then got tired of them. And sometimes, if an urban archeologist happened to be at the right place at the right time, dumpster diving and digging behind buildings lead to the saving of relics which would have been lost otherwise. Most often though authentic Tiki temple decor pieces found their way back into the mainstream thru antique store and flea market dealers. In certain areas with rich Tiki tradition, savvy dealers with an ear to the ground started embellishing the perceived value of their items by claiming noble Tiki Temple heritage. Since there was no certitude in this hear-say, the label simply transferred from owner to owner as genuine fact.

The original owners rarely are the ones to keep anything from their businesses, because the loss of the enterprise is usually due to hardship, and they want to move on. The Kapu Kai was turned into a Country and Western themed roller rink after the flood, anything Tiki (other than the Milan Guanko structural Tiki posts between the lanes) must have been taken out by the folks who started the roller rink venture.

[ Edited by: bigbrotiki 2012-01-15 17:09 ]

I never said anyone stole anything. I just wanted your opinion. The flood damaged a lot of homes, the Thomas Winery and our family spent a lot of time at the Kapu Kai. At the time the area was just a small community and the Kapu Kai was so important to all of us who lived there. I thank you all for your input and I will consider the subject closed in regards to the fountain. Thank you

[ Edited by: vintagelaace 2012-01-10 10:19 ]

On 2012-01-10 10:10, vintagelaace wrote:
I never said anyone stole anything. I just wanted your opinion. The flood damaged a lot of homes, the Thomas Winery and our family spent a lot of time at the Kapu Kai. At the time the area was just a small community and the Kapu Kai was so important to all of us who lived there. I thank you all for your input and I will consider the subject closed in regards to the fountain. Thank you

Sorry I misunderstood you. I think bigbro's explanation of how a lot of Tiki ephemera hits the market is right on the money. Most of the time, there isn't a clear provenance, and sellers will often make claims that an item came from a famous restaurant or bar in order to jack up the price. Unless you can spot the actual item "in situ" from an old photograph, it's very difficult to tell if it's authentic.

I saw some photos of the Kapu Kai just after the flood, I doubt anything survived after that, it was literally three solid feet of mud, rock and debris sitting inside the place, it looked horrible it's hard to believe it didn't knock down the building.

Bosko

On 2012-01-10 14:49, TIKIBOSKO wrote:
I saw some photos of the Kapu Kai just after the flood, I doubt anything survived after that, it was literally three solid feet of mud, rock and debris sitting inside the place, it looked horrible it's hard to believe it didn't knock down the building.

Bosko

More like 4 feet of mud Bosko... the 3 of us, Hendley, Danny, and I could hardly breath as we slogged our way through the elaborate tunnel system we had dug for ourselves months in advance - complete with sleds, lines and pulleys, and an electrical light system - doing our best to avoid the Jerry guards above. It was an incredible journey through that wreckage ... and arguably one of the greatest heists of all time...

The entire story can be found here: http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=18521&forum=2&hilite=aku%20tiki%20room

Don't tell me Zombie, but you fell a few yards short of the trees?

Bosko

I am a little confused here...that is the TC link for the Aku Tiki Room tragedy, no?

I-Zombie, could you please shorten the suspense by simply stating "The damn thing is indeed from the KK because I pried it outta there with my own dirty hands!" or something to that extent.

On second thought, after the re-reading of the opening post...

On 2012-01-08 17:30, vintagelaace wrote:
.... I lived behind the Kapu Kai. I read from the posts from the son that some of the tiki's and fountains were stolen. I have been working on the history of ....

...you might as well NOT wanna say anything, because that "stolen" allegation is what already led Mr. Bali Hai to act defensive. But there is no reason for that, really.

This kind of thing happens when outsiders who have no understanding of A.) The history of original Tiki culture, and B.) the history of the Tiki Revival appear and make hasty conclusions. The dialectic relationship of Tiki temple creation to Tiki abandonment and destruction, and then to Tiki salvage can only be adequately understood by active participants of these phases.

I think I sufficiently described my reasons for hesitation over the claim of origin, but I also stated why it was not completely out of the question. I am glad that this piece got saved and is in good hands - wherever it is from.

This whole thread reads like a Paul is Dead conspiracy blog. I, Zombie lays it out pretty clearly, you just gotta read (and remember Occam's razor)

Here's another clue for you all: the Walrus was Paul.

On 2012-01-15 14:44, TIKIBOSKO wrote:
Don't tell me Zombie, but you fell a few yards short of the trees?

Bosko

What do you mean, twenty feet short?

Bronson's been getting a little attention on TC the past few days which is nice.

Kapu Kai Expedition 1994