Panda’s Primer:

A History of Tiki

and Backyard Polynesia

Definitions•Polynesia: A division of Oceania

including scattered islands of the central and southern Pacific Ocean roughly between New Zealand, Hawaii and Easter Island.

•Tiki: 1. Mythology A male figure in Polynesian myth, sometimes identified as the first man. 2. A wooden or stone image of a Polynesian god.

Polynesia

Where Did They Come From?

•Conventional Wisdom: Polynesian islands were settled by Asians heading east

•Alternative: Could they have been settled by South Americans heading west?

•Polynesian Mythology: Tiki, the first man, came from the east, following the sun

•Peruvian Mythology: Con-Tici Viracocha, a pre-Incan creator god, disappeared across the Pacific Ocean and never returned

Kon-Tiki Expedition•Thor Heyerdal set out to prove his

theory that Polynesia was settled from the east

•In 1947, he sailed from Peru to Tuamota, traveling 4,300 miles in 101 days on a raft constructed of balsa wood using ancient methods

•His expedition attracted worldwide attention for his theory and Polynesia

Kon Tiki

Coming to America•American soldiers in the Pacific theatre

of WWII experienced Polynesia firsthand

•They returned home with stories of a lush tropical paradise with beautiful wahines

•The postwar period saw an explosion of a Polynesian-themed lifestyle

•Hawaii became the 50th state in 1959

South Pacific

Wahines

Mid-Century Tiki Invasion

•Polynesian Bars and Supper Clubs

•Architecture

•Music & Television

•Art

•Home Decor

Polynesian Bars

Supper Clubs

Architecture

Music & Television

Art

Home Decor

Tiki Today•The 1960s saw the drug culture replace

Tiki culture as the new means of escapism

•Many old Polynesian structures in America were lost forever

•Tiki started regaining popularity in the 1990s thanks to the work of urban archeologists

•Tiki today is once again manifest in resorts, bars, artwork and music

Sven Kirsten

Disney

Jeff “Beachbum” Berry

Leroy Schmaltz

Josh Agle aka SHAG

Hapa Haole / Lounge / Exotica

A. Panda’s Tiki Lounge

So What Is Tiki?•An escapist state of mind

•A blending of Polynesia and America

•A celebration of culture through art, music, decor and libations

•A nod to our mid-century past

•A thriving lifestyle today!

References•Heyerdal, Thor (1948). Kon-Tiki: Across

The Pacific by Raft. Cutchogue, NY: Bucaneer Books.

•Kirsten, Sven (2000). The Book of Tiki: The Cult of Polynesian Pop in Fifties America. Cologne, Germany: Taschen.

•Viracocha (1996). In Bloomsbury Dictionary of Myth, London, England. Retrieved from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viracocha