Where to find authentic Lono depictions????

I have searched, poked, proded, set out on a quest to find some "old-school"/more traditional images of Lono. The problem I've found is there is quite a bit of variation & I can't seem to find any commonality with these images. Is there anywhere that has a more classic or a standard, if you will, version of Lono? Are there certain characteristics that Lono has that make him Lono? And thus the variation....?

Thanks! Great site......learning lots every day.

SCM, this as close to authentic as you will get. As with most Hawaiian tikis, Lono has a number of guises and will vary from carver to carver, island to island, and period to period. I once read in "Hawaiian Sculpture" that Lono could even be considered as vaguely as any Hawaiian tiki with a tall headdress. That being said, this version is as close to "standard" as any I've seen, and is a very old version too boot (and thus close to "the source").

On 2005-09-06 23:05, Aaron's Akua wrote:
Here's a great website with descriptions of the gods and lots of other artifacts & info on the ancient Hawaiians. It's called Hawaiian Hall.

*Name: Lono
Origin: Hawaiian Islands
Artist: Unknown
Description: In ancient Hawaiian religion, LONO was a god of peace, sports, agriculture, and certain types of healing, crafts and other cultural practices.

In the esoteric tradition LONO represented the mental consciousness, or what in modern terms could be called the "conscious mind." In Hawaiian culture, hair is a symbol of thought. On this LONO figure the hair is piled high on top and does not extend all the way to the ground. This symbolizes imagination and abstract thinking, which is not necessarily based on direct physical experience. *

Good luck with your carving.

A-A

On 2006-06-28 22:43, Aaron's Akua wrote:
SCM, this as close to authentic as you will get. Here's a great website with descriptions of the gods and lots of other artifacts & info on the ancient Hawaiians. It's called Hawaiian Hall.

hooohaaa. that serge king junk... if that is considered authentic. well... we really are redefining "authentic".

lanakai,

if this isn't as authentic as da kine above believes, what is your reference point? please educate me before i carve something that isn't quite what i'm looking for. aloha.

On 2006-06-29 11:30, sincitymedic wrote:
lanakai,

if this isn't as authentic as da kine above believes, what is your reference point? please educate me before i carve something that isn't quite what i'm looking for. aloha.

Serge kings believe something wholly different that what I learned from my decades here growing up in Hawaii. His is fake. Fake, fake, fake. But then, that's what some wanna follow. Cuz Polynesian Pop is not authentic. When ya carve a "Lono" why do it authentic? what IS authentic? as Humu tells us, "Tiki Central mainly pays tribute to the warped, artificial, inaccurate view of Polynesia "
Just stay with the tall "headress" tikis that everyone thinks is "Lono". cuz that has become Lono to many. We see that "Lono has a number of guises" so, carve a guise that suits you.

"what is your reference point? "
reference POINT.
hmmmmm.
can't elucidate a point. It's years of going to Bishop Museum. It's years of listening to kupuna talk story about our ancient and modern sacred Gods. It's years of book learnin on Polynesia. It's years of watching and learning from carvers all around the island. Since small keed time. Can't pinpoint the reference.

A lot of us present day haole carvers are looking to do what the carvers of the polynesian pop era did back in the day. That is, start with the source...

sketch it up...

And mix in our own style for a new tiki interpretation.

I think SinCityMedic is on the same page here.

Lanikai, do you have any pictures or images to share? I can tell you that lots of people spend time researching the older polynesian forms, especially in the "Creating" Forum. I am always on the lookout to find images of the older Hawaiian carvings, before the beautiful (but not historically accurate) Tongan carvings that are sold all over the islands these days. The "Hawaiian Hall" pics are listed as artifacts. Beyond that I cannot tell you, except that I've seen a number of Lonos in this general style. Share the knowledge, if you've got it.

A-A

might be worth your while to dig around the bishop museum's website (bishopmuseum.org) or even shoot them an email.

i was there a few years back & the museum actually had a full-on lono exhibit. my impression of the bishop is that they do a very good job archiving.

if you get some good images, please share them on this thread!

take care,
tiki chris

http://www.bishopmuseum.org/cgi-bin/webc.cgi/store/st_prod.html?p_prodid=618&sid=9U7N8KK4

lanakai, how come you always such a hardass?

I've read many in this forum like that book.....I wouldn't mind getting started, though, while I wait for it to arrive (got the whole weekend off). Any images would be helpful. And, A-A -- you are right....I'm looking to personalize just a bit. But, a starting point is always necessary!!

Thanks to all. Hope I find something!

On 2006-06-30 08:30, pdrake wrote:
http://www.bishopmuseum.org/cgi-bin/webc.cgi/store/st_prod.html?p_prodid=618&sid=9U7N8KK4

lanakai, how come you always such a hardass?

just the mere existence in the world of serge king and his ilk should firm up anyone's derrierre.
and add to the mix the thought his "Hawaiian hall," tho' nothing more than current tourist tiki tchotchkes photographed with a Barbie camera on someone's back lawn, accompanied by goofy writing from a bad wizard fantasy movie, is conceived to be an authentic great web site fulla artifacts.

yea. that would effect the buns of steel trick.

Ok. You've convinced me not to take serge king as authentic. Now can you suggest something else? Some other reference point by which I can obtain more info?

[ Edited by: sincitymedic 2006-06-30 15:26 ]

On 2006-05-31 18:01, lanikai wrote:
Regardless of all our respective takes on what 'tiki' is and if it should be pushed....
bottom line is;
it's an escape from our stressful wordaday world and it is a relaxing casual lifestyle. so let's chill.. with a maitai a lil more and argue a little less.
ho'omanawanui!

Hey this evil white man would like to wish you all a happy holiday. Even you lanikai. I know it will be hard to do in parsdise with all those tourist. Good luck finding your lono Sincity.

On 2006-06-30 16:35, tikiskip wrote:

Hey this evil white man would like to wish you all a happy holiday. Even you lanikai. I know it will be hard to do in parsdise with all those tourist.

mahalo nui.

eh. most o da touriststs are cool. many from around the world. most are fun. we swap great stories alla time when we meet at da harbors of Honolulu and tikibars of Waikiki. ( I tellya; da books that could be written...) most all convey their own brand of aloha spirit and friendliness from their own home. the few spoil it for the many.

[ Edited by: lanikai 2006-06-30 17:27 ]

GROG have a few "Lono" pictures in GROG's reference file.
GROG off to Reno for a few days, but will post when GROG
get back.

sincitymedic thanks GROG. in advance.

I have Beckwith's Hawaiian Mythology. A fascinating read.

However, it is not a treasure trove of tiki representations.

The National Park Service has a virtual tour of the Place of Refuge on the Big Island which might provide a more accurate depiction of a Lono tiki.

http://www2.nature.nps.gov/views/#

[ Edited by: christiki295 2006-07-03 22:42 ]

I visited this site but cannot find direct reference to Lono......there are many pictures of tikis, but none are labelled. I can, for the most part, extract who is who in most cases. Beautiful park....I think I have family who frequents there & keeps bugging me to visit them.

This is all GROG has in reference file. The 2 in the
upper left are labeled "Lono" and the one in the
upper right is labeled "Lono wall hanging". Looks like
it's rather commercial than "authentic", but something
is better than nothing. That's all GROG has for you.
GROG hope it's some sort of help to you.

[ Edited by: GROG 2006-07-04 15:29 ]

This is all GROG has in reference file. The 2 in the
upper left are labeled "Lono" and the one in the
upper right is labeled "Lono wall hanging".

and da odda one is "god of money"
and dat odda one is "god of yer beer not going flat."
and then we have "the maoi god ku, god of guerilla warfare, ballett school and pot throwing"

all created back decades ago to help educate the tourists!
yea. that's the ticket.

GROG try to help.

So far, it's more help than Lanikai.

On 2006-07-04 15:59, GROG wrote:
GROG try to help.

So far, it's more help than Lanikai.

grog. why you bein' such a hardass?!

GROG's sister had a Buns of Steel video when GROG was growing
up, and GROG got hooked on it. Bullets just ricochet off this
Gluteus Maximus.

You didn't quote the part of my post where I said it looked more
commercial than authentic. You seem like you're being a bit of
a hard-ass, too. So I guess we were butting asses.:D

Sincitymedic, I don't know that you're going to find anything
really "authentic" that still exists, so good luck in your endeavors.
Do something that YOU'RE happy with, and that's Lono to you.

[ Edited by: GROG 2006-07-04 16:52 ]

On 2006-07-04 16:39, GROG wrote:
"GROG's sister had a Buns of Steel video when GROG was growing
up, and GROG got hooked on it. Bullets just ricochet off this
Gluteus Maximus.

HE... was my favorite Centurian.
"Who shall we weeleese!?"
"Weeleese Wojah!"

"You didn't quote the part of my post where I said it looked more
commercial than authentic. You seem like you're being a bit of
a hard-ass, too. So I guess we were butting asses.

don't stop. hurts so good.

Didn't the vendor merely replicate authentic tiki designs and, then, give them silly names to push to the tourists?

On 2006-07-04 21:53, christiki295 wrote:
Didn't the vendor merely replicate authentic tiki designs and, then, give them silly names to push to the tourists?

Polynesian Pop answer:
Yes, and No!

Authentic real original and true answer:
No, and Yes!

It's really a shame http://www.tikitrader.com isn't in business anymore as I'm sure he would have had tons of "Authentic" Lono depictions.