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A Collection of Cannibals |
bigbrotiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 25, 2002
Posts: 10563
From: Tiki Island, above the Silverlake
|  Posted: 2009-09-16 10:31 pm Permalink
Just to follow up and confirm:
You were right, folks, most of the Disney Tangaroa Babies were inspired by the mini figures on the body of the this unique Tiki from Rurutu. Here's the best photo of it I could find on the net, you can recognize the Tiki baby on the right on it:
 
He's one of the treasures of the British Museum, here's some more info:
"There is debate about which of the Rurutu gods the figure represents. John Williams identifies it as A'a. The god is depicted in the process of creating other gods and men: his creations cover the surface of his body as thirty small figures. The figure itself is hollow, a removable panel on its back reveals a cavity which originally contained twenty-four small figures. These were removed and destroyed in 1882. Contemporary Rurutuans explain that the exterior figures correspond to the kinship groups that make up their society, and propose a number of theories about the relationship between the figure and Christianity. It is carved from hardwood, probably from pua (Fagraea sp)."
Here's one more example showing another form of the head-holding type Tiki, a Solomon Islands canoe prow carving, this one being associated with head hunting:
But back to the "Tahitian Cannibal Carvings" at hand:
Here's a fine vintage rendering of the Eater, from a menu, really showing the "pulling out from between the legs" concept...
...and a circa 1940s illustration of the Trader Vic's Oakland store, showing the Catcher:
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boutiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jun 03, 2002
Posts: 485
From: The fly-over states
| Posted: 2009-09-17 11:49 am Permalink
[ This Message was edited by: boutiki 2009-09-17 11:50 ]
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1961surf
Grand Member (3 years) 
Joined: May 03, 2007
Posts: 1895
From: Newport Beach, Ca .
| Posted: 2009-09-17 2:38 pm Permalink
We still don't have the story behind the cannibals that Kate has acquired.
Where, how much etc. etc ? please spill .I know the cannibals I posted on TC
that were on ebay were never sold and auction was closed .Wonder if all the
comments from Sven killed the sale, since he thought they were Indo knock offs.
Kates say 1923 on the bottom...very old and very coooool!
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1961surf
Grand Member (3 years)
Joined: May 03, 2007
Posts: 1895
From: Newport Beach, Ca .
| Posted: 2009-09-17 4:18 pm Permalink
Quote:
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On 2009-09-17 11:49, boutiki wrote:
[ This Message was edited by: boutiki 2009-09-17 11:50 ]
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Definite lathe marks on the bottoms of Dukes cannibals -Sven .
Does this mean that they were not hand carved, and turned on lathe ?
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bongofury
Grand Member (6 years) 
Joined: Oct 15, 2002
Posts: 1478
From: Ventura County
| Posted: 2009-09-17 5:27 pm Permalink
More of the Tahitan tourist cannibal as seen in the 1962 film "Tiara Tahiti"
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1961surf
Grand Member (3 years)
Joined: May 03, 2007
Posts: 1895
From: Newport Beach, Ca .
| Posted: 2009-09-17 8:33 pm Permalink
Great shots Ron.
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bigbrotiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 25, 2002
Posts: 10563
From: Tiki Island, above the Silverlake
| Posted: 2009-09-18 12:08 am Permalink
Great find, Ron. I remember seeing a big Crane style Cannibal in a movie with John Hurt...
Here's a picture of my Cannibals on my mantle piece, with a Mai Kai coaster ( hiding the missing leg of the "victim" which was chewed off by a previous owner's dog!) and a three piece Cannibal pendant by Purple Jade. And yes, mine do have lathe marks on them:
..so they must have been mass-produced fairly early on, mine look old. Kate's do NOT have lathe marks, they must be hand-carved, from Tahiti, from the 20s - in excellent condition for that age.
Here's another pic, versions of the Full Belly one (?) and the Catcher at Trader Vic's. I tried to lighten and sharpen it to see them better. These must be Tahitian tourist pieces, too.
[ This Message was edited by: bigbrotiki 2009-09-18 00:12 ]
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HOUSE OF KU
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Apr 15, 2005
Posts: 537
From: TIKILAND, USA
| Posted: 2009-09-18 03:03 am Permalink
Quote:
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On 2009-09-15 12:54, bigbrotiki wrote:
And House of Ku: You OWN that shirt? And you know Spence Weaver's granddaughter? He had the pick of all the top shelf tourist carvings in his day!
[ This Message was edited by: bigbrotiki 2009-09-15 12:56 ]
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Yes and yes  Actually his daughters, not grand daughter...had to verify  Some of them picks...
_________________
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LOL Tiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Sep 06, 2007
Posts: 932
From: San Diegoish
| Posted: 2009-09-18 08:40 am Permalink
Quote:
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On 2009-09-18 03:03, HOUSE OF KU wrote:
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Love this bowl!
_________________
Ovarian Cancer Research
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Swanky
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Apr 03, 2002
Posts: 4807
From: Hapa Haole Hideaway, TN
| Posted: 2009-09-18 10:36 am Permalink
Does the lathe mark have anything to do with th ecarving, or is it simply a remnant of the original piece of wood being turned to make it round?
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TravelingJones
Grand Member (7 years) 
Joined: Mar 11, 2006
Posts: 868
From: Eastern Shores of Western Civilization
| Posted: 2009-09-27 06:35 am Permalink
Quote:
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On 2009-09-14 18:48, Tiki-Kate wrote:
This weekend I purchased this set. It's one of those things that doesn't even make it onto your Holy Grail list because you can't imagine ever coming across something like this.
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I'm late to this party... but, Holy Cow!  FABULOUS score Kate! AMAZING once-in-a-lifetime find!! YOU Go Girl!!! 
_________________
Viva Kate!
...five-star hotels don't have tiki bars?
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_____Flip-flOp-fLipPp...___
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Dustycajun
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Nov 16, 2007
Posts: 3935
From: Santa Barbara, CA
| Posted: 2009-09-27 10:35 am Permalink
Here is the back of a diner and drink menu combo I just got from the Luau in Beverly Hills.
The cannibals are thanking you for dining with them and hope you return soon!
DC
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bigbrotiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 25, 2002
Posts: 10563
From: Tiki Island, above the Silverlake
| Posted: 2009-09-27 11:02 am Permalink
Congrats to a classic menu, DC.
Again, funny how the "Asian eyes" mistake by the Don the Beachcomber menu artist was continued thru the decades, and then even got transferred back onto carvings.
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meega
Tiki Centralite
Joined: Aug 19, 2007
Posts: 39
From: Pewaukee WI.
| Posted: 2009-11-28 11:12 am Permalink
I just ran across this on ebay. I'm assuming it's not a TC member because of the Maori description. I'm curious if this is a realistic price?(can't afford anyway - better off trying my own carve)
Vintage Maori Tikis - The Luau Tiki Bar Beverly Hills
http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-Maori-Tikis-The-Luau-Tiki-Bar-Beverly-Hills_W0QQitemZ230405169319QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item35a537e0a7
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4WDtiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Aug 03, 2004
Posts: 1729
From: Omao, Kauai
| Posted: 2009-11-28 12:11 pm Permalink
Quote:
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On 2009-11-28 11:12, meega wrote:
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FOUR cannibals!?!?! That throws a monkeywrench in the "catcher-eater-digester" sequence!
In the pic above, it looks to be "eater-catcher-taster-buttseks"!
But I'll bet it's actually two incomplete sets, cannibals 1 and 3 being eaters, and 2 and 4 being catchers.
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