Help Identify, What Is This, Is This A? Thread

Thanks for the opinions. I'll have to do some diggin into the northwest indian theory.
Malaysia? huh....in no way am I an expert in malaysia culture, but I did live there for 6 months, and I just don't remember seeing that style of carvings... but maybe?

Thanks again.......

Watch out though, that bird is a Trickster!

Shaman sometimes got horns...sometimes got raddles...sometimes got bird on head...sometimes got all three

very good. Thanks for all the help and info. Will pass it along to my buddy.

'Tlingit'

Good morning all. I ran across these two wall hangings. They are only 10"x20" but are nicely carved. To me they look Phillippine. Has anyone seen anything like these before?
Front.

Back (note MDF pegboard)

Any ideas who made them?
Thanks.

Not tiki.

I would guess a couple of vintage Castilian pieces
and yes, they are not Tiki.

But, I thought boobies were tiki?

Only if they are ON tikis.

Those booby ladies and this set of carvings

are both performing the traditional Thai greeting the "wai", it is quite common to find carvings such as these near the door of a house to greet visitors.

The hats on the ladies don't look thai though?

I deem this the non-tiki page.

It's been a while, but I've come across something pretty cool, and I'd like to tap the vast knowledge here on TC.

Found both of these items yesterday. I believe they're both from New Guinea, but I'd very much like to get some additional details as to precisely what they are. Thank you in advance for any assistance.

I'd love help getting some history on these

Beachin808, these shakers were made by Treasure Craft for Disney World's Polynesian Village. This set was also made with a base labeled "Hawaii" or "Florida." The other 2 variations can be seen on Ooga Mooga.

Can anyone identify this tiki?or is it a backyard unknown carver?

It is a root Tiki, many are imported from Bali
from uncredited carvers most likely

carved from a root section or branch section of a tree.
Wes had some at the "House of Tiki" back in the day.

[ Edited by: Atomic Tiki Punk 2013-11-20 14:23 ]

Thanks for the info!

Did quite a search on the gourd rattle. Found some similarities where I expected. Rattle could be African (what I first suspected), could be Pacific Islander (leaning towards Png). I’m fairly sure it’s not from the america’s. I have some Gabon masks that have beadwork sorta like the rattle and some png stuff that is very much like the rattle. The front view of the carved head looks “tiki” to me but the side view reminds me of african carvings I have seen. In any event, I’m keeping it as my tiki lounge is being influenced mightily by Trader Sam’s-they have a nice mix of tiki and “non-tiki” displayed.
Anyone know where I can get a shadowbox with giant scarab beetles? And where doe’s this "collecting” stop?
Opinions on the rattle are much appreciated.

Do you think it's a dancing stick or a musical device?

On 2013-11-20 11:56, mudbone wrote:
Do you think it's a dancing stick or a musical device?

Mudbone, that’s a cool name!
Could be either of the two or even a ceremonial object. Now I can search some more with a few more different words.
Mahalo

So, not a soul can offer additional info?

Mr FacesPlaces,

Im no expert but I say PNG. Nice bits!

Yeah, I think PNG is on the money. Anyone have any idea what the "spear" type item might be?

Hi All,
I'm new here, and I suppose this probably isn't the right place to ask, but I'm currently working on a project on Maori material culture for my university class. I've sent this picture to multiple Maori museums, and I haven't found any object quite like this object.
The bottom "fork" part is made from a human fibula, and the top is wood with paua (potentially) inlaid eyes.
From what I can distinguish is it might be a whakapokoko, but if anyone has any suggestions insight into this object, it would be much appreciated.

In the pic it appears there are some designs carved on the right hip and shoulders. If you can post more detail i’m sure one our members can steer you in the right direction.
Good luck and thanks for sharing.

[ Edited by: nui 'umi 'umi 2013-12-14 16:50 ]

Thank you so much!
Here are some more photos of the piece from the sides and the bottom base.

Rusty,
The face reminds me of of those mass produced “warriors” from Indonesia that have flooded the market in various incarnations-Surfers, drummers, and a host of others. When I find mine I’ll post a pic.That said, I am positive yours is not one of em. Yours is pretty cool!
Maybe the junque Indonesian pieces were “inspired by pieces like yours.To my untrained eye the incisions on the hip and shoulders appear “Oceanic”. Are there “tatoos” on the face? That would certainly reinforce your suggestion that it may be a Whackapakoko.
I’m sure we’ll get some mo betta opinions soon. We’ll all learn something.
Nice piece

[ Edited by: nui 'umi 'umi 2013-12-14 17:13 ]

[ Edited by: nui 'umi 'umi 2013-12-14 17:23 ]

Thank you nui 'umi 'umi; my piece doesn't have any tribal tattoos on the face, only spirals on its thighs and legs, and is about 97cm tall. Most whakapokoko, through my research, do are not full representatives of the human, which places even more of a mystery on the production of this piece, as well as do not have a fork made from human bone, though there are reports of human bone forks with more than two prongs.
Also, the production of this piece seems to have been expertly crafted, which promotes even more questions than answers.
I'm not familiar with regional distinctions of Maori art style, but what is known, is that it was acquired in New Zealand and it's definitely of Maori origin..

Unquestioningly so..where did you get the term "whakapokoko" from? From this book? :

The Natural History of Man by J G Wood (George Routledge, 1870)

Thank you from making me aware of this book. The illustration above makes it sound like whakapokoko is an area, or a place, not a type of carving. I could not find the term in the online Maori dictionary, and have not seen it as a term in any Maori carving books before.

What was the response from the museums you sent it to? If they could not identify it because it has no equal in their Maori collections, it might be a tourist item.

What might be interesting is to compare it to other Polynesian culture groups' tools/utensils. One can make out the serrated edge on implements in this old postcard from Hawaii:

I have no idea though what they were used for, sorry.

I can only say it resembles a tribal ink application tool
for Tattooing, Just an educated guess though.

On 2013-12-15 09:20, bigbrotiki wrote:
..where did you get the term "whakapokoko" from? From this book? :

The illustration above makes it sound like whakapokoko is an area, or a place, not a type of carving. I could not find the term in the online Maori dictionary, and have not seen it as a term in any Maori carving books before.

You just don't have the right books:

Now, you have!
Buzzy Out!

To Bay Park Buzzy,
What would the title of that book be so that I might (potentially) use it in my project?
Also, thank you to everyone on this thread for this incredible feedback, my project is almost done, as I'm making conjectures on this object in regards to the nature of "tapu" and "mana" as well as debunking the myth of historical Maori cannibalism, whilst making an argument for the transfer of mana of defeated foes, such as bone fishing hooks and the like.

(I'm in the midsts of revising my paper as I type as it's due tomorrow.)
Although, best of luck to this forum for developing your own theories as to the nature of this object!

I can’t find the book or even recall the name but I got the impression that “whakapokoko” is a village or region such as the lower “Sepik” region in PNG. At first I thought rusty b’s object was a “godstick” but the serrations on a human fibula left me puzzled .

[ Edited by: nui 'umi 'umi 2013-12-15 23:31 ]

Whakapakoko is a (carved figure)
The figure appears to be "Rongo" the god of agriculture

From: http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/object/12000/whakapakoko

"This Whakapakoko atua (god stick) is believed to represent Rongo,
the god of agriculture. These sticks were often located near gardens of Kumara(sweet potatoes).
They were protective talismans to ensure plentiful crops."

(None of the images of Whakapakoko atua I found had serrated or two prong ends
most are knife like & made of wood, since many Maori Tattoo tools are made from bone
I can't rule out that this is still not the intended use.)

[ Edited by: Atomic Tiki Punk 2013-12-16 00:02 ]

I'm wondering if this might be a Whakapapa Rakau?

"This intricately carved stick was was used as aid to learning names of ancestors, each one was represented by a carved knob."
Those I saw on the web were wood not bone though, and more finely carved.

aloha, tikicoma

Thanks Buzz and ATP for getting the intel - me can't know everything! :D

Hi All!
It appears as though this object is not related to whakapokos at all, but is in fact a bone fork.
There's not many references to them within the archaeological record, except via I.W. Keyes A Ceremonial Bone Fork, A Little Known Artefact Type, Supplementary Records on Bone Forks (1969, 1976, 1980), and an article by W.J. Phillips 1955 which has descriptions, depictions, and an evolution of these kinds of forks from the pre-contact era onwards.
I would post these documents, but I fear they might be part of international copyright; that said, one can check out them via Inter-Library Loan.
Thank you all everyone!

Aaaah, good to know! I wonder if it actually could be called a bone fork'n'knife, as the serrated edge makes it look like a cutting tool?
Any research insights on that?

On 2013-12-14 16:18, rustyblitzen wrote:

Just trying again to see if there's any info about this. Recognize the type of figures? Is this style identified with a certain culture or island? Do you think it's just tourist crap?

On 2013-09-29 16:19, spy-tiki wrote:
A friend of mine has this silk print. It's about 37"x59". His mom bought it for him about 2 decades ago when she was on a Hawaiian & Tahitian cruise. There doesn't seem to be an artist signature or any tag with a brand. Touristy kitsch or treasured artifact? Any ideas?

Any idea who made this solid yellow parrot mug? It appears to be the same mold from the Hawaiian Cottage parrot and I know OMG made them.I know it is not the newer Dynasty Wholesale do to the crazing on the bottom and the quality of the glaze.
Mahalo

Scored this carving today from a workmate who found it tucked in a corner of a block of units where his girlfriends mum lives. It's obviously been outside for a while because of how weathered the front of it is but other than a little rot on the base it's in pretty good condition. Anyone have an idea of its possible age and/or origin. I've had a couple of people say Hawaiian, one said from Fiji and someone else said from Bali. Most people do seem to think it is from the 60's or 70's though, so it does make it quite old.

It sure looks like a Balinese Demon mask on the body of a traditional Hawaiian Tiki
not traditional in any way with that head.

Hey Swizzle! That Ku carving is interesting. I have a vintage Tongan carving that is similar but it's more of the traditional Ku style. No fangs, but it has that similar horn design on it's head. Tongan natives carved Ku images cause that is what sold with tourists.

On 2014-03-16 19:53, swizzle wrote:
... from the 60's or 70's though, so it does make it quite old.

Careful, that makes it younger than most of the people on this forum! :lol:

On 2014-03-13 20:05, spy-tiki wrote:
Just trying again to see if there's any info about this. Recognize the type of figures? Is this style identified with a certain culture or island? Do you think it's just tourist crap?

On 2013-09-29 16:19, spy-tiki wrote:
A friend of mine has this silk print. It's about 37"x59". His mom bought it for him about 2 decades ago when she was on a Hawaiian & Tahitian cruise. There doesn't seem to be an artist signature or any tag with a brand. Touristy kitsch or treasured artifact? Any ideas?

Nice!, no matter what kind of history is behind it, it has a nice Mary Blair feel to it.

Any clue where the inspiration of this carving is from? Maybe an Austral Islands tiki?