Tiki styles

Can anyone tell me why how many different styles there are?
Also why is the Easter Island stuff link with the Hawaiian/Polynesian stuff?
My Tiki collection is strictly on the Hawaiian/Polynesian side and don't incorporate any of the Easter Island stuff.
Is anyone else like this, or do you mix the media's?

[ Edited by: Tiki styles on 2004-07-17 09:06 ]

[ Edited by: TIKI TROY on 2004-07-17 09:09 ]

Mix, match, bastardized, traditional, cartoon, it's all good. I don't like the demonic stuff but Munktiki does some simplistic, gentle, demonic designs that work for me. It doesn't even have to be tiki necessarily. I like primitive, native, tribal......blah, blah, blah.

Aloha,
Easter Island is technically part of Polynesia.

Here is an interesting article about some Moai statues that were recently carved for the Polynesian Cultural Center.
http://www.polynesia.com/islands/rapanui.html#
In Polynesian Pop an acurate representation of Polynesian Culture was not important. The mood and feel of the far off and exotic was more important. You will find a mix Micronesian, Polynesian and Melanesian art in many an old Tiki Bar. As to how many styles there are, I don't really know. Along with maori, Marquesan, Cook Islands, Hawaiian and Easter Island styles, you must add Californian, Floridan and Cartoon styles as well. I like a mix best.

Mahalo,
Al

[ Edited by: Alnshely on 2004-07-17 10:33 ]

Welcome to Tiki Central TIKI TROY.
I'm with JT and Alnshely.
Just have fun.

As Al pointed out, you have hit upon the difference between Polynesian culture and Polynesian Pop. In the 50s and 60s, ALL Oceanic effigies became known as Tikis. Might I quote the Book of Tiki:
"...a new figurehead of Polynesian Pop emerged: the carved native idol commonly referred to as Tiki. Not withstanding the fact that the term did not exist in the Hawaiian or Tahitian language, and that the stone sculptures of Easter Island were actually called “moai”, in Polynesian Pop all Oceanic carvings became members of one happy family: The Tikis.
.... Although the form they took was inspired by their Polynesian predecessors, American Tikis were more often then not freeform interpretations of several island styles mixed with good dose of cartoon whimsy and a dash of modern art."
And:
"Heyerdahl’s 1955 book about his Easter Island expeditition, “Aku Aku”, proved equally as influential to Polynesian Pop. The book’s cover became such a popular icon that the giant stone statues, correctly termed “moai”, became known as Aku Aku heads, or even Aku-Tikis, making them a widespread theme in American Tikidom."

However, in the Tiki revival, "Aku Tikis" is not used much. The generic "Tikis" is often completed with "Easter Island heads" or "Moai" in order to specify the style.

Thanks everyone for all your help!
This is one great website!!!

Wow! You got some heavy hitters giving you the low down! Awesome!

Your right suburbanpagan!
I am very appreciative that they were nice enough, to take some time out to do so!
Thanks again!

Welcome Tiki Troy!

Mahalo to everyone for showing so much Aloha!

Aloha kâkou!

Koi

On 2004-07-17 09:05, TIKI TROY wrote:
Also why is the Easter Island stuff link with the Hawaiian/Polynesian stuff?
My Tiki collection is strictly on the Hawaiian/Polynesian side and don't incorporate any of the Easter Island stuff.

I think no qualified resource is questioning the polynesian heritage of easter island. Further more, the tiki around here is more like in tiki-mug, not that one polynesian god. All the easter island style mugs and related design stuff is going back to Thor Heyerdahl’s popularity in the mid-century.
Many good bars and restaurants go for a trader/beachcomber theme, or the seven-seas theme incorporating lots of native art or design inspired by the many cultures of the pacific area.
A pure Hawaiian style place would be that in a nutshell, anyway. There’s alao the hawaiiana/polynesian pop collectors - which is to tiki what hapa haole music is to exotica, it has got a narrower focus on hawaii.

KK