Mystery Tiki - Answering the questions: "Where is this tiki from? "Who made it?" What is it for?

I have searched high and low and I cannot find a general forum for those of us who have tiki/oceanic artifacts current or otherwise that we have no idea where they are from, who their maker is and what the significance of their find is. Ooga-mooga can answer most questions about tiki mugs or barware, which we are all greatful, but just doesn't have the room or the time for those pieces that just didn't leave enough clues.

I hope this will be a topic board to help people who have those mystery pieces and not people just being too lazy to check the logical resources.

Thanks!

Ok, I am hoping to start this off on the right foot. Here are two tiki wall hangings I have that just baffle the heck out of me. Any help?

On 2009-12-27 20:35, pali-uli wrote:
Any help?

I have a thread over on marketplace where I charge $1 to authenticate Tiki items. Here's a free sample of what I do:

The one on the left is from Papau New Guinea (PNG). It looks kind of newish, probably mass produced and imported for someplace like Cost Plus or Pier One. A real one wouldn't be painted with paint like that one and wouldn't have a hole in top to hang on a wall.

Here are few PNG pieces with some similar features to yours:


Here's a new touristy unpainted piece like it that I have:

Here's a thread on TC of people's PNG pieces:
Share your Papua New Guinea pieces

You'll notice the nicer pieces on that thread all have that neat faded black, white, and red pigment thing going. On the real pieces,they would have used charcoal, shell, and mud stuck to it instead of paint.

Now on to the other piece:

The one on the right probably came from Honduras, Costa Rica, Mexico, or Jamaica...One of those non tiki type places. Some kind of Beardman wizard hippie folk art guy...definitely not tiki. Nothing on it is similar, inspired, or related to any of styles of traditional Oceanic Arts. Might even be mountain or okie art. But those are all just guesses as to what it is outside of it not being any type of Oceanic piece...I don't really know much about those other type of art styles.

Anyone who didn't know what those pieces were and learned about them from my post should paypal me one dollar.
Thanks!
Buzzy out!

[ Edited by: Bay Park Buzzy 2009-12-27 22:32 ]

Although I greatly appreciate the information, I do not agree with charging people who share the same hobby as you, even if it is a dollar. Hopefully you will understand and not take it personally. Your information is valued and encouraged, and I hope you continue to help people answer their questions even if it means there is no money involved.

Here are some more mystery tiki items I have in my collection. There is not labeling on them and I am wondering if anyone has anything similar and what the story is behind them.

The first one is a glazed ceramic wall hanging in yellow. It is about a foot tall and 8 inches wide.

The second are two dully glazed ceramic wall hangings reminiscent of the drama faces found in theatre.

The third is a bottle opener in a Marquesan style that seems to be a woman. Also, no markings.

Any information is great. Thanks for your help

I was hoping to be one of many posters looking to identify their "Mystery Tikis." Not just me. Feel free to post your inquiries on this posting too!

[ Edited by: pali-uli 2010-01-01 02:27 ]

Pali, Buzz is kidding about the dollar... I think... but I did send him a PayPal buck anyway because I didn't know they made Beardman wizard hippie folk art guys in the Hondouras.

Buzz knows his stuff because he has spent countless hours studying Oceanic art. Don't piss him off and he may offer more of his valuable information and insight :)

On 2007-11-13 15:33, TravelingJones wrote:
THE GREAT AND POWERFUL BUZZ KNOWS WHY WE ARE HERE!!! TIKI! ALWAYS MORE TIKI!!!

I've said it before: My head is full of Tiki knowledge!

On 2009-12-31 16:29, pali-uli wrote:
I do not agree with charging people who share the same hobby as you, even if it is a dollar.

Okay, I understand. But since I'm getting paid for it, it's not my hobby, it's my job.
I was just trying to save you a few years of your life for what others would consider a mere pittance.

You're going to have to take the long road then, and do it the hard way.

You might find your answers in one of these:

Book of Tiki $129.00-240.00

Tiki Style $48.99-92.61

Tiki Modern $26.39-126.84

Tiki Quest $29.91-64.38

Just think: you could spend about $250 on all these books, and still not find the answer. I did!

Maybe Sven or Duke will wander by here soon and help you out.

On 2009-12-31 17:01, MadDogMike wrote:
but I did send him a PayPal buck anyway because I didn't know they made Beardman wizard hippie folk art guys in the Hondouras.

Hey Maddog, thanks for the $1. I went to Burger king and got one of those double cheeseburgers with it. Whew!I'm full! For at least the first part of 2010, I will not be a starving artist! I appreciate you and everyone else's continued support.
And...It seems when I see those beard wizard hippie styled guys that are marked, they usually have some central american hellhole inscribed into them. It looks like they're all made in the same sweatshop with the destination markings carved in after the pieces are finished or shipped. I always see them in the same lots for sale as those cheap and crappy african and mexican folk carvings. I saw all kinds of stuff like that when I was in Belieze several years ago.

Instead of $1, how about if I get 10% of the final selling price of an item if you use my information in your ebay listings?
Buzzy Out!

Call me old fashioned, but bringing money or feelings to this just isn't in the pure meaning of the genre. I mean: relaxing, getting away from stress, going to someplace different than the money-rat race we all live in. I am sad the only person who knows what their talking about is driven by money or selfishness. Don't they realize this is a passion and unless you are an islander yourself, you really shouldn't be taking a stance like that. Like all truly pure hobbies there are those who become jaded and lose the true meaning. Being funny or not, I am surprised by the negative answers I have gotten from this post and the lack of truly helpful information {without money, recognition or any other cliche rewards} I am astonished by this post and the support those people who give this strange responses "respect". Don't you realize people who are just getting into this genre/hobby/lifestyle are reading this? This is the wrong image to give them and distances them from its origin.

[ Edited by: pali-uli 2010-01-01 02:32 ]

P.S. I am a tiki enthusiast. Not an ebay seller or in any way in tiki to make a profit.

paypal sent... :)

Just some friendly advise Pali-Uli, I think you're getting off on the wrong foot here. You have to remember that the people here are solely here for their entertainment - no one gets paid for their expertise. Buzzy probably spent 20 or 30 minutes looking up those pictures, scaning them, posting a response and all he gets out of it is a lecture. I know you say you are a collector and not an e-Bayer but we don't know you from Adam. Several times a month, new people show up to pump the experts for info, sell their goods and are never seen on TC again.

If you really are interested in Tiki, spend some time here. Look around, read some old threads, get involved in some conversations, attend some local events (your profile doesn't say where you are), build some relationships. You'll find the people here are very friendly and willing to help.

Mad Dog.
Believe me, I know. I have been using Tiki-Central for years and truly it is the BEST resource for all things tiki and filled with wonderful people. I don't usually join posting sites unless I actually need information, like now. I have never meant to rub people the wrong way or to cause any trouble. But, to be honest, it caught me completely off guard when someone gave me information (I really got excited when someone replies so soon and with such good info) and then asked for money, with no prior agreement to do so. I have no problem giving Tiki-Central money for their upkeep or services. Truthfully, I went online last night, and before I posted my reply, tried to find a way to get rid of the whole thing. I really just wanted people to answer my questions and to create a spot (I saw no designated spot for tiki identifying questions) where others could do the same.

If you know how to get rid of the whole post topic so I can try again, let me know.

Sorry, no way to delete a thread. Once it's posted, it's there FOREVER

PS - Buzzy was just kidding about the buck. Wit and sarcasm are just two more of the free services offered here on TC, after a while you'll know who's full of it :lol:

Buzzy!
I'm sending you a dollar just for the entertainment value of this thread.
Mahalo!

Dayum...I am going to send Buzzy a $1 just cause he is the great Tiki Karnak and so benevolent with his knowledge. Buzzy...I'm tellin ya you could be rich...rich I tell ya, if you make a Tiki Cheesecake Calendar. Sure the Karnak dollars must be piling up, but a $15 or $20 Buzzy Cheesecake calendar would put you on easy street. :)

Yeah, I wouldn't worry about it. Your main mistake was that you took Buzzy too seriously. Nobody else here does. Even if he is the shining example of the contemporary Tiki revival artist who actually does study original Oceanic Art, and creates with that in mind, instead of just copying the same low brow grinning cartoon Tiki all over!

And I am profoundly grateful that he cares to post responses to such questions as yours, so that I am not the only one who has to do all the work around here! :wink:

Here's my 'pinion on your most recent items:
1.) Very cool modernist ceramic piece. Not based on any specific culture. I would call it perhaps...TIKI MODERN!
2.) Comedy/Tragedy masks, just that. Though the tragedy one looks Tiki-esque, they primarily are "drama faces"
3.) Not Marquesan, but pre-Columbian

Now I only have to figure out how I can get a Dollar too for each informative post I do.... :D

(maybe if I would leave out those damn smiley faces, I would be taken more seriously, like Buzzy!)

Thanks for the reply.

Wow! You guys should have seen the sunset today. It started out with the sky on fire:

Then it went all purple:

Happy New Year!

Maddog: How did you get stuck cleaning up my mess?

On 2010-01-01 09:16, pali-uli wrote:
Mad Dog.
I have no problem giving Tiki-Central money for their upkeep or services.

Time to put your money where your mouth is:
Is Tiki Central worth $2.00 to you? About The Tiki Central Grand Membership

Pay up Sucka! Tell Hanford Buzzy sent you so I can get my commission for signing up a new member. Thanks.

On 2010-01-01 09:16, pali-uli wrote:
Mad Dog.
But, to be honest, it caught me completely off guard when someone gave me information (I really got excited when someone replies so soon and with such good info) and then asked for money, with no prior agreement to do so.

That's not exactly correct. Maybe you should go back and reread my original post. Focus on which parts that were directed to you, and which were directed to the general public.

While he/she does that, the rest of you can read what I believe to be is the main source of conflict here:

How Do You Know? A Strategy to Help Emergent Readers Make Inferences(excerpt)
Journal article by Janet C. Richards, Nancy A. Anderson; The Reading Teacher, Vol. 57, 2003

Helping emergent readers

In our work with young students, we often note that they do not generate inferences naturally and spontaneously. They can usually deduce information from one segment of the text, but they fail to integrate it with implied information in other parts of the story or in storybook illustrations. Often, emergent readers experience problems because of text constraints, such as syntactic or vocabulary difficulty (Dewitz & Dewitz, 2003). Their underdeveloped reasoning abilities, lack of prior knowledge for story content, or overdependence on prior knowledge that causes them to invent plausible but inaccurate answers also may create barriers to comprehension (Anderson & Pearson, 1984; Dewitz & Dewitz, 2003; Neuman, 1990; Trabasso & Suh, 1993).

Unga, Jonesey, Vamp: Thanks for the paypal payments! Today I went to Jack in the Box and got two of those $1 big cheeseburgers with the money. That's probably all the food I need today and I still have $1 left for tomorrow! I'm thinking I'll change things up a bit tomorrow and go for the $1.29 Big Hamburger at Carl's Jr. All I need is 29 cents more...Maybe someone else has a question I could answer? Right now I'm running a New Year's Day 70% off sale. One tiki question* answered for only 30 cents. (*Please, no mug questions. Try Ooga Moogainstead.)

On 2010-01-01 12:04, bigbrotiki wrote:
Now I only have to figure out how I can get a Dollar too for each informative post I do.... :D

Just ask! I did and the money's been rolling in ever since!

Hey pali-uli, after you become a Grand Member, you should nominate this thread for "Cool & Current"

Both "cool" and "current"
Buzzy Out!

On 2010-01-01 19:23, Bay Park Buzzy wrote:
Maybe someone else has a question I could answer? Right now I'm running a New Year's Day 70% off sale. One tiki question* answered for only 30 cents.

I saw someone ask a question today in the "Introductions! New members post here" thread. You should go hit them up.

P.S. Do I get a percentage for referrals?

On 2010-01-01 19:44, 4WDtiki wrote:
I saw someone ask a question today in the "Introductions! New members post here" thread. You should go hit them up.

$#!^*&&! Psycho Tiki D already answered it, for free even! He obviously doesn't know the true value of knowledge.

I have a feeling people like him and this thread might hurt my long range business plan:
Ask Little Lost Tiki Absolutely Anything
All those answers, justr given away, like they have no value at all.

Maybe I'll start concentrating on higher priced, quality answers for the discriminating asker.
Less answers, more money.
Buzzy Out!

On 2010-01-01 19:23, Bay Park Buzzy wrote:
Maddog: How did you get stuck cleaning up my mess?

I try to look out for the newbies :D

On 2010-01-01 20:49, Bay Park Buzzy wrote:
I have a feeling people like him and this thread might hurt my long range business plan:
Ask Little Lost Tiki Absolutely Anything
All those answers, justr given away, like they have no value at all.

My oh my, look at what I have been missing out on all year! LiloTi, the Dear Abby of Tiki, who knew! You sneaki bastids, having all the fun in some obscure sub-forum!

Sven, where have you bven?! That mutual harassment thread has been going on for several months

Finally.... with Buzzy mentioning the "Ask LLT Anything" thread in this thread, two of my favorite threads have merged.

I think I hear fireworks.

[ Edited by: Tiki Shaker 2010-01-02 11:22 ]

I'd like a dollar.

Done. PayPal to Lavaflowinn

Hey Buzzy! Do you accept pesos?
No, seriously, who made this Tiki?

On 2010-01-02 11:31, Matt Reese wrote:
I'd like a dollar.

Matt, I sent you a buck but PayPal returned it because you never collected it. What's wrong with my buck? :x

On 2010-01-18 21:47, Zeta wrote:
Hey Buzzy! Do you accept pesos?
No, seriously, who made this Tiki?

Zeta- That's a Tree-Fern tiki so probably carved in Hawaii. The style definitely looks similar to other fern-wood tikis I've seen from Hawaii.

Bosko is more of an expert on Tree-Fern tikis. I think he can tell the different carvers by the style.

And most of them have long rotted away, because of the fibrous wood just falling apart.

By the way, Sabu...do you know who your signature gal is?

I am sure you do, but in case not...

...here are a few more snapshots:

http://www.nudismlife.com/index.php?/category/104

After seeing the post with the tree fern tiki, I was reminded of this tiki that's around the corner from my house. I lifted this shot from a thread I did a few months back. Any ideas?

Buzzy, you should go to Del Taco. That 3 dollars could get you 9 tacos on a Tuesday, or 1.5 lbs of bean and cheese burritos any day of the week! You don't have to pay me for my unsolicited answer.:wink:

That's a shame, where's pali-uli?

On 2010-02-02 17:34, MadDogMike wrote:

On 2010-01-02 11:31, Matt Reese wrote:
I'd like a dollar.

Matt, I sent you a buck but PayPal returned it because you never collected it. What's wrong with my buck? :x

Sorry, I don't have a paypal account. I got a notice in my e-mail and had no idea why someone was sending me a dollar. Thanks for that. I've been cracking up since revisiting this thread. I'd completely forgotten my sarcastic comment made earlier. You rule.

Mahalo Sabu!

What about this one?

It is almost a meter tall. Very heavy. At least 40 years old. It has green velvet under it so it doesn't scratch any surface. I am really interested. Please help.

On 2010-02-05 22:53, Zeta wrote:
What about this one?

It is almost a meter tall. Very heavy. It has green velvet under it so it doesn't scratch any surface.

I'll just throw out some thoughts that I have on this one.

First, I try to catagorize it. Hawaiin, Maori, Marq, Cook, easter Island. etc. I find it to be Hawaiian in style based on its features.

Next I try to determine its place of origin...

Can't tell the woodtype, so it's hard to say wheter or not it orginated in Hawaii.

Then I look at the quality of the carving. Not too good. More of a log drawing than a full 3d round carving. Real shallow and the body is done wrong. He might even have been using a photo for a source. The headress has a few problems as well. The intention of the carver was to make a traditional styled Hawaiian tiki, most likely what we would refer to as a Lono, but he didn't really understand how to execute it correctly.

Since I figure this carver wasn't that good skills wise, he probably didn't just carve it up out of his head. I next look to see what his original source of inspiration was. First I try to figure if was from an original Hawaiian carving, or some sort of newer polypop source. For this tiki I can pretty much guarantee that it wasn't from one of the surviving original Hawaiian carvings. There's only a couple hundred or so out there, and none that I've seen or found yet match this particular carving.

So that sends my brain through the image archives I hold in my head on polypop and souvineer Hawaiian carvings. As best as I can tell, the original source was this piece:

I kind of had to photo it off center so that the details one the side of the headress could be seen. Basically, when you compare this original Coco Joes to yours, yours has a less skillfully executed version of every feature and detail that is on the original. There are far too many for it to be a coincedence, and there are also no deviations, other than quality and execution, between the master source and the copy. I can say without a doubt it was based on that cocojoes. So lets see if that can be contradicted by any other informtion you provided on it

We'll have to take into consideration your dating it at 40 years, and if Cocojoes was making that piece then. That puts it late 60's or early 70's. I don;t know for sure when that CCJ's was first produced, but CCJ's was definitely around then. So that fits our timeline.
But: How do you know for sure its date of at least 40 years? That part is always sketchy unless you actually have had that tiki for 40 years. Rip the velvet off and see if it was signed or dated underneath. The velevet was probably placed there after it was purchased by the buyer. It could be hiding a secret pirate treasure map as well.

Hope that helps.

On 2010-02-03 20:50, kahalakruzer wrote:
Buzzy, you should go to Del Taco. That 3 dollars could get you 9 tacos on a Tuesday, or 1.5 lbs of bean and cheese burritos any day of the week! You don't have to pay me for my unsolicited answer.:wink:

I'm all about Taco Tuesdays. I even go walk in so I can stock up on ketchup, napkins, and hot sauce. I actually call it "grocery" shopping. If they didn't have the bathrooms outside the restaurant, I'd paobably get my toilet paper there too. We even have Taco Thursday at the one by my house now. The usual 3 tacos for $1.09 with the bonus special three chicken soft tacos for $1.19. If you type in taco tuesday on search, half the posts are mine...

On 2010-02-03 21:04, Jungle Trader wrote:
That's a shame, where's pali-uli?

Hopefully out there somewhere trying to find something that's actually "tiki".

Buzzy Out!

[ Edited by: Bay Park Buzzy 2010-02-07 12:54 ]

What about this one?

I really like it...

Wow, me too! Besides that groovy groove look it sports, its face and mouth are very reminiscent of the Ren Clark logo Tiki to me..and it has an "R" on it !

I am glad you guys/gals miss me. I will be sure to post some of my new tiki finds for Buzzy. Hope all are doing well!

Unlike many other Coco Joe's or Hip Original, this little resin guy has no markings on the bottom to attach him to any given group.

These little guys unlike my other recent finds are not made of resin. They don't have any marking either. They feel like the volcanic red rock you put on your flower beds. They are very heavy and have long ears similar to the moai on easter island although their faces look nothing of the sort. They were a top not which is also reminiscent although different. These guys baffle me.

This mask/Statue is quite large about two feet tall. It is not strikingly tiki, but very much in the exotica genre. When the price is less than five dollars, you buy now, ask questions later. No markings on this one. It feels like a polynesian hardwood, much like the monkey pod cups but with a longer wood grain.

On 2010-04-10 23:13, pali-uli wrote:

this little resin guy...
These guys...
This mask/Statue...

When the price is less than five dollars, you buy now, ask questions later.

And you get mad when I ask for a measly buck for my expertise... It's easy to ask all the questions when somneone else is picking up the tab. I noticed you never followed through with your offer to give Hanford some money to help maintain the site either.

Three days and there are no answers to your questions. Am I the only one who can help you? I hope not, because you know that I charge for my services and you refuse to pay...

"this little resin guy...": I can tell you the maker, catalog number and description, and show you a picture of two variations of the same tiki by that maker

"These guys... " I can tell you exactly what those are, where they came from, and provide two pictures of the original source for those carvings

"This mask/Statue...": I can provide you with information on this one as well

I'd help you out with your questions again(At least one of them is tiki this time!), but you or someone else is going to pick up your tab first. Did you even thank Maddog and Vampiress for paying your fees the last time? Ungrateful deadbeat!

I'll say it again: If you don't know what it is, then don't buy it!

and That advice is worth way more than $5!
Buzzy Out!

[ Edited by: Bay Park Buzzy 2010-04-13 00:30 ]

On 2010-04-10 23:13, pali-uli wrote:

These little guys unlike my other recent finds are not made of resin. They don't have any marking either. They feel like the volcanic red rock you put on your flower beds. They are very heavy and have long ears similar to the moai on easter island although their faces look nothing of the sort. They were a top not which is also reminiscent although different. These guys baffle me.

I think these are Korean.

I am enclosing this within parentheses because this is not meant for any of the wonderful people of Tiki Central. I am sorry to stoop as low as I did and try to call someone out because they were rude and inconsiderate. I am slightly embarrassed that my idea for a great forum was dirtied by rude wisecracks and put downs. I tried to have the forum removed so that it could start over new, but alas, those up high said it is forever. So to those wonderful TC users, I ask that you overlook the B.S. that this forum topic turned into, and continue to post your mystery tiki questions on it anyway. Thanks, Pali-Uli

(Buzzy you crack me up. I think you would find that, rather than dragging this to the bitter end, it would be more beneficial just to remain cordial. I have been treated wonderfully on TC by everyone but you. You may find in all your travels, that people may be more willing to take your advice when you give them the respect they deserve, especially newcomers. I wish you the best.)

Paul-uli! I like this thread! And you are right, Buzzy has a funny kind of humor, but it's the price to pay for some good answers sometimes and his nice pictures of his tiki carving process... Just don't take him (or anyone) too seriously.
Anyway, who carved that tiki I posted above?!?! the quality of the carving is too good to be amateur... the signature, the kind of tiki... who ever did this is a professional tiki carver. But who?

On 2010-05-12 18:21, Zeta wrote:
Anyway, who carved that tiki I posted above?!?! the quality of the carving is too good to be amateur... the signature, the kind of tiki... who ever did this is a professional tiki carver. But who?

A possible answer:

On 2010-05-11 17:24, throberts2 wrote:
I am looking for a new fern wood tiki and found this site. I can shed some light on the subject, I bought mine in 1961 for a house in hawaii. I think I ordered it from a prison in Hawaii because I was told it was carved by prisoners. It maybe that I ordered it from the old Bamboo Window. Guess I am not going to get a new one.

I know... Tiki carving in prision make doing time sounds like fun! But I was not talking about the fern tiki, I was talking about this one:

On 2010-03-23 07:38, Zeta wrote:
What about this one?

I really like it...

Aaaaah, the "ribbed Ren Clark" (my unqualified term) ! A mystery Tiki indeed, and a fine one at that!