| Today, most people are familiar with tiki statues and | | | | system, there are four major tiki gods and dozens of |
| masks from a tiki bar or a tropical-themed resort. Tiki | | | | minor ones. Each has their own story and a particular |
| statues have become synonymous with a certain type | | | | likeness represented in tiki statues and masks. The |
| of tropical ambience which became popular in the | | | | four major tiki gods of Hawaii are Ku (the god of war), |
| 1930s. The tiki craze lasted well into the 1960s, and | | | | Lono (fertility and peace), Kane (light and life), and |
| even today there are tiki restaurants around the | | | | Kanaloa (the sea). |
| country. Today, tiki decor can be found nearly | | | | The mythology of the tiki is also tied to the moai |
| anywhere, including public buildings as well as private | | | | statues on Easter Island. These enormous stone |
| homes. Do you ever stop to think about where this | | | | statues look much like the smaller counterparts found |
| unique style comes from? | | | | elsewhere in Polynesia, and are carved to resemble |
| As it turns out, the story behind tiki statues is long and | | | | large human faces with oversized features. The moai |
| complicated. Though America first caught onto the | | | | are believed to represent ancestral spirits, although little |
| craze in the twentieth century, worldwide the history | | | | is known of the ancient culture on Easter Island. |
| of tiki dates back thousands of years.This rich history | | | | In New Zealand, Tiki refers not to the first man, but the |
| includes elements of many distinct cultures from | | | | god who created the first man. In New Zealand, |
| around the world. The ancient mythology of the tiki | | | | statues are carved to represent gods and to house |
| originates in stories from the native peoples of New | | | | the gods' spirits. The native peoples of New Zealand, |
| Zealand, Hawaii, and Polynesia. | | | | known as Maori, wear hei-tiki pendants carved in the |
| According to the legends of the Polynesian islands, Tiki | | | | shape of a human figure. These pendants have a |
| was the first man, somewhat equivalent to Adam in | | | | similar style to the tiki statues of Polynesia, and are |
| Christian theology. It is thought that the idea originated in | | | | worn as a type of good luck charm. Hei-tiki are a |
| the Marquesas Islands before spreading elsewhere in | | | | central part of Maori culture, and carry deep symbolic |
| the South Pacific. In this ancient culture, the word 'tiki' is | | | | value. |
| also used to describe the spirit of a god or ancestor | | | | Tikis are still a major part of the culture in many island |
| contained in a sculpture. The sculpture, which may be | | | | locales. Today, because of the midcentury tiki craze, |
| wooden or stone, is carved in their image. In Polynesia, | | | | tiki statues can be found all over the world. In |
| tiki statues have been found dating back at least 3,500 | | | | Polynesia, there are artists and sculptors who draw |
| years. This custom resulted in the popularity of tiki | | | | their inspiration from the tradition of tiki statue carving. In |
| statues that today can be seen all over the world. | | | | the United States, 'tiki' has become a blend of all of |
| The story of tiki is perhaps best known from the | | | | these ancient cultural forms. |
| mythology of Hawaii. In the ancient Hawaiian belief | | | | |