Tiki Found

Here is an article from The Local Tahiti Press

"French Navy finds tiki lost at Raivavae since 1933

(Tahitipresse) - A French Navy ship was doing some local map updating work early this month off Raivavae in the Austral Islands when it discovered a tiki that had been lost since 1933.

The tiki was found in five meters (16 feet) of water. It had originally fallen into the ocean off the vessel “La Denise”, which was headed for Tahiti. This was one of three tikis originally purchased by Steven Higgins.
He had decided to acquire the tikis from Raivavae in order to exhibit them in the Museum of Papeete. Two of the tikis formed a couple, Moana and Heiata. The third was their child, and it was this one that fell off “La Denise” when it was being loaded aboard the ship.
Although the people of Raivavae always claimed to know where the tiki was located in the ocean, its rediscovery turns out to be precious. “The tiki has a certain historical interest,” said an official in the Culture Ministry. “But for the moment it’s going to stay where it is because its extraction requires special conditions and a special technique.”
On Raivavae, where the matter has provoked the start of a controversy, residents would like for this historic remnant to remain where it is. “When one has a valuable object like this one, one would like to keep it,” one person at the town hall said. “We would also like to recover the two other tikis.” But Moana and Heiata have been on exhibit in the gardens of the Gauguin Museum since 1965. Meanwhile, the Territory has let it be known that the three tikis belong to it.
According to Polynesian history in this part of the world, the tiki is a Marquesas name for human like figures containing a spirit that humans wanted to call upon.
But according to legend, the tikis were “ti’i”, which were considered to be the first humans. These “ti’i” were called up to obtain protection from spirits, but more often were used to cast spells to destroy the vital organs of an enemy and capture his soul.
Moana and Heiata, the two Raivavae tikis now in the Gauguin Museum gardens, have a mysterious history involving mysterious deaths.
That is why the story is told that two months after the 1933 expedition to Raivavae, Higgins became ill, probably having a bad case of hepatitis. But rumor had it that it was a sort of curse involving the tikis. Higgins died in 1935. His sister died two months later along with the original owner of the tikis and his partner.
Once the tikis arrived in Tahiti, the mystery surrounding them only continued. The tikis were located on land in Papeete where there were plans for a hospital in 1965, so the tikis had to be moved to a new location. The moving job was given to 10 Marquesans. They accepted the job because they were sculptors and Catholics and were not worried about the stone gods once thought to have existed in their archipelago.
Fifteen days after the two tikis were moved, two of the Marquesans died.
Now, 39 years later, people in Tahiti are once again talking about the mysterious supposed powers of tikis. Meanwhile, the Culture Ministry would like to be able to use the best conditions possible to bring up the third tiki from its five-meter depth off Raivavae, where it has harmlessly been for the past 71 years."

the tikis were “ti’i”, which were considered to be the first humans. These “ti’i” were called up to obtain protection from spirits, but more often were used to cast spells to destroy the vital organs of an enemy and capture his soul.

Well, I guess the spell of tiki has been "destroying" the livers and "holding captive" the morality of the western world for some time now! (And we loooove it!)

My liver hurts.

And I thought the liver damage was just from lots of Rum...

Boy, what an Interesting story. Many Thanks to Pacific Andy for bringing us this window to our Tiki heritage.
Liver,Schmiver, who needs one anyway, they just limit your Rum intake..

[ Edited by: Benzart on 2004-02-21 10:07 ]