When you hear the word \"tiki\" or see a tiki symbol, what does it make you feel of? Does your mind bring up images of island chants and rituals or foreboding searching statues? There are truly quite a couple of unique ideas behind the Tiki, some of which are related and other people which come from widely ranging origins.
One such story surrounding the Tiki is derived from Polynesian mythology which suggests that the hei tiki sculpture represents the embodiment of a god. This sculpture is said to contain a spirit within. A large number of Polynesian beliefs center on the concept that Tiki was the 1st man to inhabit the earth. Tikis can be found in lots of Polynesian countries. For instance, females from the Maori tribes of New Zealand typically wear modest tikis strung onto a necklace that, when worn around their necks, are said to help stave off infertility.
One more variety of tiki can be discovered on Easter Island in the form of the giant moia, a series of over 200 sculptures located all over the island. These tikis had been at one point idolized by the former inhabitants. The discovery of the moia by Europeans in the early 1720\'s, when they were stumbled upon Jacob Roggeveen, touched off centuries of speculation concerning their past. The moia tikis range in size, but a lot of are quite significant, with a couple of estimated to weigh as much as 80 tons.
The tiki became a trendy symbol in the United States around the 1930\'s, when clubs, restaurants, and similar hangouts took on a theme imitating the Polynesian culture. These hotspots typically had colorful fabrics accenting the tables and walls, rattan furniture, open-flamed torches mounted to the walls and floor, and even tropically-themed alcoholic drinks. The popularity of the Polynesian theme spread throughout the 1930s, and it continued to do so as soldiers from the second World War returned household. A great number of had really spent time in Polynesia and the tokens and gifts they brought back to pals and family helped the tiki craze along. Ultimately touches of Polynesian culture could be found in several areas of architecture and home decorating, where it lives on as \"tiki\" style.
The demand for tiki-themed items, parties, and décor hit a second bout of popularity when Hawaii became a part of the United States in 1959. Right now, this fad could possibly appear \'cheap\' or \'tacky\' to some, but it's kitschy and unusual to others. Dinner parties or even your entire house can be transformed into a mystical, carefree atmosphere with a few basic tiki items such as wooden signs, tiki torches, rattan furniture, and even place mats.
Tiki statues can still be discovered on a number of islands as a message of greeting to tourists, adorning tee shirts and other souvenirs, and even as logos in local companies. Tiki symbols could possibly be fashionable, but they will continually have a deep-seated meaning to the cultures they represent. Although we may feel as although \"tiki\" is merely a means to imitate the island atmosphere of Polynesia, the roots of this trend run really deep in ancient Polynesian culture.
