Tiki Pole up on ebay

I was wondering if anyone (bigbro?) had any insight into this tikipole on ebay:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=868506596

Looks vintage, and the motif is quite cool. Only a couple hours left for the item.

~tikigreg

I don't think it's a tiki pole, with the stars and the head with a sort of beakishness, i'll bet it's northwestern indian totem

[ Edited by: kahukini on 2002-05-13 15:35 ]

That's a seconde vote on it being of Northwest American Native origin. I guess one vendor's tiki is another buyer's totem.

Although it looks like no Northwest Coast Totem I have ever seen, my money's on that theory too. The stacked figures, and the figure emanating from the lower guy's mouth are all indicative of Haida style totems. My guess is it's a modern carver's take on an old theme.

Your Canadian Connection,
Tikifish

Actually, Sven, doesn't this look kind of like part 2 and 3 of the "capture/eat/full belly" trio we discussed? Although it's stylistically hybridized, it does seem to carry that motif. Interesting... Could somebody with a faster connection nab those photos while they're still up so Sven can see 'em before they're gone? He may find them interesting...

The cannibal element was also what made me think it was from the South Pacific. I have made copies of the pics if bigbro doesn't get to the page before they go down. Let me know if they need to be emailed to you, Sven.

~ tikigreg

well the guy on top, holding his belly, looks very cook island-ish to me.

and the guy on bottom kinda looks like shecky.

:sheckymug:

Also, take a look what Bosko has:
http://www.tikibosko.com/tikicups.htm

Coincidence?

I think Maxton pegged it.

Ah yes! The cannibal trio... I have a pic of them here at the Jardin Tiki... scroll down to the 3 tiki poles side by side...

http://www.tikifish.com/jardintiki.html

They have a set like that (rounder, though) at Jasmine Tree in Portland and Sven commented on them when he was here.

Ahaa!...vell vell, yesss (hrrmp):

Indeed what we have here is two parts of the famed TAHITIAN CANNIBAL CARVINGS, which are STEEPED in Polynesian Pop history (as some crazy buyer must have known), I am planning a lengthy essay on these puppies for some future publication. These two look like they stem from poles once used for The Luau, some of which later went down to San Diego to the Hanalei/Islands (p.205 in B.G.). Or they might very well be from one of the Crane Kon-Tikis (p. 104 in B.G.), like the ones at La Mariana in Waikiki hailing from the Sheraton Kon Tiki there. The Kon Tiki matchbook drawings are pretty cooky moderne (p. 103). There is a great Kon-Tiki menu cover where all three are standing around the sacrificial altar which is NOT in the book (tisk tisk).
They go WAYYY back to no other than DON himself, owning a pet pair (threesome that is) and also having them in WRONG ORDER on his menu (p.68, above Bora Bora):
They actually go
1.) Tiki sitting on (catching) little Tiki
2.) Tiki devouring little Tiki
3.) Tiki holding his full belly

A splendid version of the devouring one can be seen on my website http://bookoftiki.com/004.html (which is in bad need of an update, I know). This one is a single, my favourite Tiki of them all at Oceanic Arts, which they had gotten from Tahiti, where it was obviously carved by a MARQUESAN carver.

O.A. sells some small versions, which are wrongly based on the threesome that Crane's designers swiped from the Beachcomber cover and put on the back of the brown Luau menu and matchbook covers (p.105). The wrap-around eyes are not drawn out completely and thus look like Asian slanted eyes. The Mai Kai did a similar unclear rendition (p. 137 and 138).

The best DRAWINGS are inside the Don the Beachcomber Souvenir menu (p.72 & 73), on page 72 you can see the actual statues in the back bar behind the bartender. I have the identical ones, they were tourist carvings in the 30s. It is unclear if they were based on actual ancient Tikis.

Oh yes, the ones in the Jasmine Tree are big and beautiful single statues, like the ones at the Harbour Hut in Morrow Bay CA, and if the place ever goes under, GET THEM FOR ME!!! (Not before!). And Bosko's mugs are based on my research, as he will readily admit.

[ Edited by: bigbrotiki on 2002-05-14 20:20 ]