Real tikis

(What's a 'real' tiki?)

Real tiki - could be genuine "island" god/deity (think photos of the actual easter island statues), or could be a genuine '50s pop period tiki at a resort or restauarant?

Thats my guess?

Either way, "locating tiki" would probably be the go.

What I mean is real polynesian tikis in there natural surroundings which were carved by the native people.Not tiki mugs,plastic tikis,or tikis that decorate a tiki resturant(though some of those are realy nice).Here is an example then again the lawn chairs in the background make me wounder...did the polynesians invent the lawnchair?

[ Edited by: The Velvet Tiki on 2005-07-01 09:06 ]

[ Edited by: The Velvet Tiki on 2005-07-01 09:09 ]

Many were wood, often Palm & Fern wood, which quickly rotted in the hot & humid Polynesian climate. Many more that were made of stone were destroyed by missionaries & natives after converting to Christianity. Others were just lost to the jungle, fallen & buried they may still be found in the future, we just don't know where they are right now.

Yes, the Polynesian's did invent the pool chair! Those are authentic Polynesian loungers - complete with hand-woven plastic straps! :)

The best forums for you would be Location Tikis, and Collecting Tikis. But as far as "real" tikis, you might want to refer to them as artifacts so that you don't piss off all of the people on tiki central that are carvers.

EsQui.
http://www.galleryhidden.com

Yes,I meant tikis carved by polynesians in times of yor?On far away islands which time forgot.Although the native Polynesians who carve tikis now must be creating the real thing(meaning made by Polynesians).Except Tikis were originally religious objects,and if somone makes one to sell as decoration,or a souvenir it kind of makes it somthing else.Of course we would have to be an ancient polynesian to trully understand what a tiki is.Anyway I plan on carving some out of cedar logs from trees felled by Hurricane Ivan(there are a lot still around)and I don't plan on worshiping them,even though we tend to collect our tikis religiously.the great Pacific explorer William Nordhoff,whom I was name after

[ Edited by: The Velvet Tiki on 2005-07-02 10:29 ]

Velvet Tiki,

I still think there are a few ancient Polynesians (card carrying no less), that may be able to assist you in your inquiry.

(?)

You will probably find the highest number of "real" Tikis in Museums in Europe and America. The Bishop Museum in Honululu is well stacked.

The largest amount of ancient Tiki still "in Situ" is probably to be found in the Marquesan Islands, because they made many of them in stone. Any wooden ones from pre-contact times that were not collected have rotted away by now. Even the Marquesan Temple Tikis, though made in stone, have lost a lot of definition to the tooth of time.

Both of the Tikis in your photos are Polynesian pop, because they were made in the 20th century. Just because they were carved on the islands doesn't make them any more "real", who knows if the carvers even were Polynesians.
Carving Tikis for tourist trade started very soon after contact with Western explorers, in the 1800s, when Polynesians ran out of "real" ones because the missionairies had destroyed or taken them all, and the natives realized they could trade them for the desired Western products.

There's some mexican guy in TJ who carves real tikis. Some american dude pays him twenty bucks a crack to whack 'em into shape... then the american dude sells 'em for two to three honeys give or take a five spot... good margins are still possible!

Even the ancient carvers may have done it for money, regardless of what historians say. Don't forget that nearly all forms of worship pass around the collection basket.
Getting a bigger piece of meat, or a pretty woman may have also been forms of payment. But nevermind me, I have a wild imagination.

EsQui
http://www.galleryhidden.com