Help identifying some finds

Hi, new to this post, Just thought i'd share some of my new findings.
The first picure is of a statue I found in an antique store located in san antonio, texas. Looks like a KU GOD.
Monkey Pod from the Phillipines are marked at the bottom of the base.
Does anyone know anything about this statue? Where it comes from? Who made it? etc...

The second picture has two identical mugs found in a thrift store got them for $5 bucks. No markings on them.
The two little statues to the left were also found at a thrift store for 50 cents great buy!!! No markings either.
The middle item is a statue, but not sure if it's african or tiki? Defenitely no markings. Has cool earings dangling.

If you have any info please let me know ASAP this is driving me carzzzzy!!!! HELP!!!!!

You wouldn't happen to know saradar44 who has the exact same statue as you and was asking yesterday in the CARVING thread about that KU tiki that they found in San Antonio, also?
What an amazing coincedence!

[ Edited by: GROG 2008-01-19 21:59 ]

By the way, did you see rule#6 in the Tiki Central rules?

[ Edited by: GROG 2008-01-19 22:00 ]

The mugs look like Westwood, but I can't place the exact type, and the noses don't look right (not square enough). Are you certain they aren't marked "Japan" on the bottom?

The little statues look South American - I don't know what to make of the earring statue.

And the Ku is very nice, but it looked better on the chair.

Sorry about rule #6.
But i am a different user. I do know saradar44 in san antonio this is our first time at tiki cantral.
He made a mistake and posted on the wrong forum.
So then I opened an account to place the statue on the correct forum.
Thanks for pointing it out.
Good Catch!!!!!

No worries, eh? Live and learn.

Did you check the bottom of the mugs? Do they say "Japan"? Also, do they have handles on the back?

That earring statue is similar to the earring mug from the Tonga Room and the Islander - wonder if they are related in some way.

[ Edited by: Koolau 2008-01-20 01:23 ]

Nice find Tikirosa. And welcome to TC. Your mugs are made by BEST EVER of Japan. Made out of red clay.Here's three from my collection. Tiki Quest says they may have been used at the Hawaiian Cottage. Good find !

nice mugs.. the one on the left is most common....i've never seen the other 2 before....they are very cool..

Thanks alot UNCLE TRAV for the information. No the mugs don't have a tag or any writing on the bottom. They do have handles.
As for the small statue can't seem to find any info. I liked your collection.

Well then, welcome both of you to Tiki Central. There are some more Texans on the forum and they are planning to get together May 3rd in Dallas at the Trade Vics. You can find the thread in "other events".

Tikirosa,

Uncle Trav beat me to the post, I have the same mug you were asking about, and I was going to say exactly what he was going to say. The carved tri-face "bowl" was something I saw at the thrift store yesterday, but was not painted like yours. I believe the others are right in saying it is South American / Mexican. That is far too common in this state and I would assume in states bordering Mexico. No worries if you want to collect them, just keep in mind they aren't Polynesian in origin, but do look good in a separate collection for SA/Mexican Idols. The carved statue that appears first in your post is Hawaiian. Stick around and you'll learn what is Polynesian and what isn't. Good to have you two aboard!

Very cool - I've never heard of the manufacturer BEST EVER before; something else to keep an eye out for.

Here's the ones I have. You can see the handles in this photo. No stickers on mine.

Three of those mugs just sold on ebay:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=200191934769&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=010

aloha
i have a few of these mugs with a fred roberts sticker on them!
hope it helps.

Actually, I'd say that is Kane, and not Ku. Ku has a much more pronounced head dress than this. Also, the eyes are a bit different.

Kane is on the left, Ku on the right.

Tiki Calendar for 2008

[ Edited by: Swanky 2008-01-22 14:27 ]

Why does Kane look like he has boobs. Kane is a male tiki right?

I gotta call you on that one Swanky - Ku is most often represented as having a rounded head with cross-hatched carvings leading to two braids down his back. The carving shown earlier in this post is of Ku - I'm pretty sure of that, even though my main reference source is that noted Hawaiian scholar Coco Joe's.

No, actually, even in the carving threads here in Tiki Central, you will see carvings of Ku looking very similar to tikirosa's. Same thing Googling Ku images from the Bishop Museum. Kane is often represented with a high triangular stack on his head, but then so is Lono, so it does get confusing.

On 2008-01-19 19:14, tikirosa wrote:
The first picure is of a statue I found in an antique store located in san antonio, texas. Looks like a KU GOD.
Monkey Pod from the Phillipines are marked at the bottom of the base.
Does anyone know anything about this statue? Where it comes from? Who made it? etc...

I would say it comes from...the Phillipines! Made by a poor local carver for pennies.

It was a fairly common design, mass-produced in varying forms until late in the game, by the likes of Orchids of Hawaii:

It was so popular in the 60s that it even made it onto a T-shirt:

I published this ad in my "Surfing Tiki" Chapter in the BOT, here is a close up:

I own a plaster version of it, together with its partner, the Surf God:

Now this "Surf God" (rather a goddess, wouldn't you say?) was also carved in larger versions:

..and even made into a mug:

I was just at a VAL SURF store in the valley (get it..VALley Surf), and they still sell T-shirts with their cool old logo on it :) :

...not those early (perhaps the first ever) Tiki T-shirts, though. :(

P.S.: If anyone has an extra one of those Tiki Tiki Japan mugs, I would love to trade for it... :)