subject: A History of Tiki Statues [print this page] Tiki statues are typically associated with tiki bar and surf culture, which grew in popularity in the first half of the 1900s, in California especially, and that quickly spread through the rest of the world. But the origin of tiki statues dates back to many thousands of years before that, and comes from the religious mythology of the Polynesian region. Tiki Mythology The island cultures that developed in the western Pacific share much of the same religious and cultural mythology, and tiki statues are a very crucial part of this mythology. More than decorative pieces, they were religious artifacts, thought to house the spirits of divine entities and ancestors. Tiki tradition is rooted in Polynesian creation myths. In many of these creation myths, Tiki is the name of the first man, who was created by the god of forests and birds, Tane. The first woman was named Marikoriki. Tiki found her in a pond and was promptly seduced by her. Their daughters birth caused the first clouds to appear in the sky. Tiki Statues Tiki statues became symbols of Polynesian gods and spiritual entities. They displayed the attributes of different deities and were thought to literally house these deities within them. One of the precursors to wooden tikis statues were the massive stone moai statues found in Easter Island. These were huge, monolithic sculptures of faces that were likely meant to symbolize ancestral spirits. Some of these large statues are as old as 1000 AD. Throughout the centuries, tiki statues became an integral part of Polynesian culture, and different societies developed different styles of carving and design. Wood allowed tiki makers to come up with far more intricate, colorful and complex designs. In Modern Times Today, tiki statues are associated with the bamboo tiki bars culture, which grew to prominence in the United States in the 1930s, when travel started to become inexpensive and American tourists (and celebrities) became enamored with tropical vacation and Caribbean getaways, and the perceived leisure that such an image implied. The tiki craze died down after the 1950s, but it has started to become popular again in recent years.
