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

Possibly Borneo, Dayak Culture

I was thinking Dayak as well.

Thanks!

Along with a United Airlines Ku, I found this today.

It looks a little more cartoony Native American than tiki, but it is carved out of palm. It also looks like it could've been in a Chinese restaurant and got the dreadful paint makeover. So what's the consensus, Orchids? Sea and Jungle? Benson's? Homemade?

Though the colors point towards Chinese "Orchids of Hawai" Tiki, I'd say this guy is homemade. The head piece reminds me of the Goof from Christian's Hut/ the Bali Hai.

I have not been able to find any historic precedent to this type of "native crown" among the various Polynesian headdress types...

Hobby Tiki is an under-reported genre because one tends to concentrate on the good carvers like Guanko, West and OA, and there's often something wrong or dorky with homemade Tiki. Yet it is important proof of how Americans were inspired by Tiki art.

Here is another cool piece that looks like a home project to me:

These kind carvings are like the thrift store art of Tiki :)

On 2019-01-13 12:42, bigbrotiki wrote:

These kind carvings are like the thrift store art of Tiki :)

:lol: :lol: I love that analogy! Thanks Sven.

Found this little guy at an antiques show this weekend. Listed as a "flower vase" it's way too small for that. Only about 3" high and maybe 4" long. Ceramic, marked Made in Japan on the bottom. I was thinking maybe it was part of a tea set, but someone on Instagram suggested sake. There doesn't seem to be an obvious place to sip or pour from, although there's what looks like a smooth pour channel over the tail, it doesn't quite extend far enough to be functional.

I found these two wood figures a few months ago. I have not been able to identify them or even figure out if they are tiki. The smaller one has a Taiwan label. Does anyone have an opinion as to what the are? Thanks

Any help to id where this guy comes from? The seller was talking about African, but I wasn't sure. Looks a lot nicer that the usual African souvenir finds. Thanks in advance, Fran.

Since nobody chimed in.
Could be, may be, I don't know.
http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=42753&forum=5&start=0&30

the pose of that figure reminds me more of the mesoamerican fertility figure that was the basis for the Hovitos golden idol from Raiders of the Lost Ark:

I found this couple today at a thrift store. The shape of the faces made me think on Papua New Guinea but not sure. Any help will be appreciated. Thanks in advance, Fran.

Definitely not PNG. Most likely African.

On 2019-08-07 20:07, swizzle wrote:
Definitely not PNG. Most likely African.

Thank you swizzle.

My two daughters picked this up for me at a local yard sale in Huntington Beach, CA. They must truly love me :) It is a belated gift that they'll give me in the next week or so but I got a brief peek at it yesterday. I really like it!

Tiki has some age on it and the style looks seems equally old but I am not well versed in the subject. I think it is a bit over 4' tall but was not able to see it on the ground for a more accurate assessment. Any ideas who, what, where, when? Thanks in advance.

I know Danny Gallardo had a carving workshop about 10 years ago. Maybe it's a tiki made during that session.

Thanks, tikigreg.

came across this guy today - the paper with it said it was Nigerian and below that from New Guinea Sepik River - i was thinking PNG when i saw it tucked away - any info or input? the guy that has it says it came from the World Museum in Tulsa, OK but looked through the auction catalog (the one i have at least) and couldn't find it

Its a PNG spirit/food hook.

BUMP

Anyone know who made the Ku in the middle?

• There's no markings on the bottom (neither Orchids nor DW) and nothing on the back. Looks like it may have had a small sticker on the bottom at some time in the past.

• It looks a lot like the "Hu Ke Lau Ku Mug (https://mytiki.life/tiki-mugs/hu-ke-lau-ku-mug) but doesn't have the writing that one does.

• It's 6.5 inches tall.

An Orchids R-74 is to the left and a Tiki Farm Beachcomber Cafe is to the right, for size comparison.

Anyone know who made this one? Google image and Yandex searches came up dry, as did perusing the mytiki.life Ku images or searching by keywords skulls, stacked or pineapple.

Looks recent/modern, and features a pineapple between the eyes, 4 stacked skulls at the feet.

There's no markings on the bottom, base or on the back.

[ Edited by Holofernes on 2024-09-08 06:35:27 ]

Looks like a copy of https://mytiki.life/tiki-mugs/crazy-al-lucky-tiki-mug

Yes it does, thanks!

My thrift store find is clearly a less detailed knockoff, very notably missing the detailed scrollwork around the mouth and with a lack of detail on the stacked skulls.

[ Edited by Holofernes on 2024-09-08 06:42:14 ]

duplicate post edited, ignore this dupe

[ Edited by Holofernes on 2024-09-08 06:39:59 ]