Please Help Me Identify This Ceremonial Paddle

Aloha All,

I bought this beautifully carved ceremonial paddle at a thrift store today, and hung it up on the wall of my home tiki bar. I know absolutely nothing about this item other than the fact that I dig it, so I was hoping that someone here would be able to recognize the carving style. It looks vaguely Maori to me, but it could well be from New Guinea or Africa.

Here's a close-up of the detailed carving on the paddle:

Many Mahalos in Advance!

[ Edited by: MrBaliHai 2005-11-07 19:24 ]
[ Edited by MrBaliHai on 2022-07-11 18:21:00 ]

[ Edited by MrBaliHai on 2022-07-11 18:21:47 ]

I'd say it's Tahitian/ marquesan by the style of the carving and a great find.

Cheers, cheeky. I'm glad that someone with your level of experience in Island decor chimed in.

All of my searches on Tahitian/Marquesan carvings on the Internets seem to come up 90% Gauguin paintings, but I have found a couple of pieces that seem to echo the design of the eyes on the paddle. I'll have to go to the local library and do a little more research in the oversized art books section.

The quality of the carving makes me feel reasonably sure that this paddle is authentic, and not a cheap tourist knockoff.

At a THRIFT? wow. Wahine, take note!

Unfortunately, the gentleman who owns the shop where I bought this is quite knowledgeable about primitive art, so I paid non-thrift prices ($25)for this particular item; that's not horribly expensive, and if authentic, it's still an excellent buy. I've seen far-plainer ceremonial paddles go for hundreds of dollars elsewhere.

This guy also has an amazing collection of genuine Polynesian masks and tikis which he exhibits in his store, but aren't for sale.

Actually, I believe that is a vintage University of Hawaii Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity Paddle. I've seen many a Spe hit a bare assed freshman with such a paddle to "encourage brotherhood."

A simple DNA test for the presence of freshman ass cells adhering to the paddle's surface should confirm your hypothesis, Dr. Rory.

$25! That's a great deal!
nice paddle, smack bum!

On 2005-11-08 12:02, Tikiwahine wrote:
nice paddle, smack bum!

I'll have to clear that with Missus Bali Hai first...:wink:

wow, that is beeeeyoutiful. nice score, lucky!

The style is definitely Marquesan, as far as anything you find being "authentic", it depends on your definition. It likely was a piece carved for the tourist trade. If it was carved by a Marquesan using traditional motifs that is still very nice. Anything pre-contact (European) made without steel implements is worth an astonomical sum and not likely to be found thrifting or antiquing. Antiki-ing? To see similar carvings you might try google images for a picture of a Marquesan club or U'u. Curvilinear line breaks, presence of wide nose, C shaped outer digits on hand and goggle like eyes are typical traits of the Marquesan style of tiki.

Sneaky tiki
non-Western Art History nerd.

Be wary of "genuine Polynesian masks" The Polynesians had no mask making tradition and all but one Micronesian island lack masks as well. So much for the shop owners prized Polynesian authentic masks....
If you go to google images and type in Marquesan paddle you'll find sites that take you to an image of a chief with a similar paddle.

Sneaky

[ Edited by: Sneakytiki 2005-12-15 03:08 ]

marquesan for sure...great find.

Sneakytiki: thanks for the additional information on the relative lack of a mask tradition in Polynesia. I've been back to view this guy's collection a couple of times, armed with some reference books. Most of it is actually from Africa or New Guinea, and appears to date from the 1940s or '50s.

As for the paddle, I know that my chances of this being a pre-contact Polynesian artifact are about nil. By "authentic", I meant carved by an actual Marquesan as opposed to someone here in the U.S. emulating the style. Even if it was carved by a non-Marquesan, it's still very well done.

Mr. Bali Hai, your welcome! As far as tourist carved items go I agree, if it is well done by an artist schooled in the tradition or even one capable of doing a good copy, it's a nice piece period! As far as tourist trade pieces, those started immediately with contact as the islanders wanted the trade items offered, they'd carve more pieces. I have been put in he position of some art snobs constantly telling me my pieces are tourist pieces, duh! like I think I have some 1600's tiki?? You'd think they'd get the drift after viewing my kitsch stuff. It's just hard to know what one means by authentic, as some people's definition is very narrow.
As if all artistic merit or value stops once european contact is made. Applying the same principle, european artists such as Gauguin and Picasso would be artistically worthless purveyors of crap as they were both influenced greatly by non-european artists. It all has to do with white-privelege and Eurocentric definitions of "art" which don't even have meaning in cultures outside the West.

PS
25 bux was a score! You'd pay triple that at least if you bought the item in the Marquesas.

Sneaky