Hawaiian Tiki Masks, Totems, and Statues

The Polynesian concept of Tiki can be explained in a few different ways:

1. According Polynesian mythology Tiki was the first man, descendant of the gods and/ or the stars. The procreator of earthly life.
2. A wooden or stone sculpture of a Polynesian god. Varying from wooden tiki statues on Hawaii to the giant moai statues on Easter Island.
3. A Maori carved object representing an ancestor and/ or fertility. Commonly intricately carved from pounamu jade and worn around the neck as a talisman. Also called hei tiki.

These are typical hand carved Hawaiian tiki masks. The creation of these double headed tiki masks is a time-consuming task that actually requires more labor than a totem because the log has to be carved out completely.

The smallest measures 24 inches by 7 inches. The two bigger masks measure 36 by 10 inches. For more photos and info visit Tikimaster.com

Hawaiian tiki masks are characterized by menacing expressions and wide open mouths to ward off evil spirits. The relatively big heads are emblematic for all Polynesian tiki. In ancient times these works of art were often carved from wood or volcanic buff and were supposed to have superhuman powers.

"Polynesian tiki are frequently phallic in shape carved with erect penises, out-stretched tongues, over-size breasts or protruding vulvae. Such figures are usually imbued with the mana (power) of deities or forebears and credited with abundant sexual vitality and procreative powers."

Source: Night of the Tiki: The Art of Shag Schmaltz and Selected Primitive Oceanic Carvings by Doug Harvey

Tiki masks with their emblematic facial expressions were carved to resemble gods, spirits, and mythological beings. The common denominator herein is that a carved tiki contains a unique spirit. The image of this deity represents its spiritual power (mana).

Purpose of creating these divine embodiments was to request protection, good luck, and blessings in times of war and regarding successful harvests. The depiction of the hands clasping on the belly resembles holding on to someone's ancestral heritage, lineage.

• Kane, the god of creation, sunlight, forests, fresh water, and father of living creatures
• Ku, the god of war
• Lono, the god of growing things, crops and harvests, and peace
• Kanaloa, the god of the oceans and fishing, and of the land of departed spirits

"Kane, Ku and Lono are considered to have created the heavens, earth, the sun, moon, stars, spirits, mankind, and basically everything in existence. Kanaloa was the chief of the spirits, who did not want to act as servants and messengers to mankind as the gods intended, and revolted. As a result, these spirits were cast down, and Kanaloa became the ruler of the Underworld, called Po."

source: NativeHawaii.com

In ancient Hawaiian tradition Kanaloa is considered to be the god of the ocean, the Underworld, the creator of land, and a teacher of magic. Legends state that he became the leader of the first group of spirits "spit out" by the gods. In time, he led them in a rebellion in which the spirits were defeated by the gods and as punishment were thrown in the Underworld.

The squid god Kanaloa (resembling an octopus) is typically associated with Kane. It is also the name of an extinct volcano in Hawaii. In legends and chants Kane and Kanaloa are portrayed as complementary powers (Beckwith 1970:62-65) source: Wikipedia Kanaloa

According to other traditions Kanaloa also stands for fishing, abundance, and love.

For more photos of these and other Kanaloa tiki masks hand crafted in Hawaii visit Tikimaster.com

The term tiki probably originated on the Polynesian Marquesas islands. It was spread with settlers who visited Easter Island, Hawaii, and later on New Zealand.

Tiki refers to large wood and stone carvings of humanoid forms in Central Eastern Polynesian cultures of the Pacific Ocean. The term is also used as it relates to Maori mythology where Tiki is the first man. In the Maori language, the word 'tiki' was the name given to large wooden carvings in roughly human shape, although this is a somewhat archaic usage.

The carvings often serve to mark the boundaries of sacred or significant sites. In Maori mythology Tiki is the first man, created by either Tamatauenga or Tane. He found the first woman, Marikoriko, in a pond. She seduced him and he became the father of Hine-kau-ataata. read the rest of the Wikipedia article: Wikipedia

The origin of Hawaiian wood carved tiki masks goes back thousands of years. It is estimated that the first tiki masks, totems, and statues were crafted at approximately 1000 A.D. The tiki carvings were worshiped in the whole Polynesian area which include the islands of Fiji, Hawaii and Tonga.

According to Hawaiian tradition the first man was Kumuhonua. He was the Alii Aimoku of Oahu which means the sovereign king of one of the four main Hawaiian islands. Kumuhonua was created by Kane (sometimes referred to as Tane which literally means 'man' ), the god of procreation to his own image.

Kane was worshiped as ancestor of chiefs and commoners. According to ancient Hawaiian tradition Kane made Kumuhonua's body by combining red earth and saliva. The first woman was created from one of Kumuhonua's ribs.

This is a frequently recurring element in not only Maori mythology but also in Christian beliefs (Adam and Eve). One could say that Kumuhonua is the Adam of Maori mythology. Tiki is also referred to in Polynesian tradition as the son of the sun.

The left tiki mask represents the god kane, the one in the middle is Lono, and the right tiki depicts the Hawaiian god Kanaloa.

The Hawaiian god Ku of war's name means "to stand" and "to strike" Ku was also called Ku-waha-ilo which means with "maggot mouth". He was the god to whom sporadic human sacrifices were made. The sacrifices were needed in order to receive abundant harvests, safety during fishing expeditions, health, and prosperity. Ku had various descriptive names such as Kupa-ai-ke'e (Ku-adzing-out-the-canoe).

Sources: Polynesian-myths and Hawaiian Mythology on Google Books.

The Tiki on the right is an exact reproduction of a Tiki from the 60's at Trader Vic's restaurant. All tiki totems depict two Hawaiian deities. The totem in the middle actually is a Tahitian tiki. It represents love and prosperity. They are all hand carved from acacia wood.

For more photos of these and other wooden tiki totems hand crafted in Hawaii visit Tikimaster.com

Tiki, being the first man on earth, was lonely and craved company. One day, seeing his reflection in a pool, he thought he had found a companion, and dived into the pool to seize it. The image shattered and Tiki was disappointed. He fell asleep and when he awoke he saw the reflection again. He covered the pool with earth and it gave birth to a woman. Tiki lived with her in innocence, until one day the woman was excited by an eel. Her excitement passed to Tiki and the first procreative act resulted (Reed 1963:52).