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Tattoo News - September/October 2017



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I'm pleased to announce that I've opened a new small private studio in Kaneohe on the Windward side of O'ahu!  Open by appointment only. If you read on you'll realize I'm heading to CA in less than a week, but my O'ahu studio will re-open upon my return home October 20th. Call or email for appointments, 808-734-8677 or <tattoo@lava.net>.

If you've been a subscriber to my newsletter for very long, you're probably aware that I have a difficult time finding sites worth including. On occasion a newsletter will focus on a specific culture or topic.  Recently I've been in contact with several individuals that are involved in the modern tiki movement, so here I am going to briefly discuss tiki or ki'i. 

While in California this upcoming trip I will be giving two presentations (one in the SF area and one in LA) on tiki, focusing on the historical cultural context. We haven't confirmed the details, but if you are interested, please email me with Tiki Talk & your location & I'll send you out details.  The presentations will focus on the significance & cultural context of tiki/ki'i.

Looking at what is online on tiki, I've found a few decent websites. Wikipedia provides a decent summary and quick overview of tiki/ki'I in Polynesia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiki

On the topic of Hawaiian ki'I, there's several basic sites that aren't bad as starting places: https://www.to-hawaii.com/tikis.php   Similarly http://www.mythichawaii.com/tiki-gods.htm provides a basic overview of Hawaiian ki'i.

Flux published an interesting article on the Bishop Museum 2010 exhibition of the 3 extant mo'i(large temple images) statues of Ku.  https://fluxhawaii.com/the-last-statues-of-ku/  It's a good article, but a minor correction is required—the one mo'i now resides in a gallery in Salem, MA (not Boston) at the Peabody Essex Museum.  An easy mistake to make as Peabody Harvard Museum is in Boston.

While on the subject of ki'i, let's also talk just a bit about heiau. These were the outdoor, open-air temples which are found in many Polynesian island groups. Reading some online sources one might assume that all heiau required human sacrifices but this is not the case-- there were many different types as stated in this link to Wikipedia: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heiau 
Another decent summary is at https://www.olukai.com/journal/2014/11/10/heiau-sacred-temples-in-hawaiian-culture/

Pu'ukohola on Hawai'i Island is one of the more impressive heiau today. It is part of the National Park system and us described here: https://www.nps.gov/puhe/index.htm In recent decades it's been a side of significant cultural events and reenactments. Hawaiians have also had a critical role in maintaining the site. If you do a Google image search, you'll find some impressive photos!

There's a nice short video on the reconstruction of a heiau on Kaua'i at http://www.kaneiolouma.org/news/dedication-ceremony-for-hawaiian-kii-statues

If you're visiting ancient sites in Hawai'i, be respectful. I ran across a brief article by Dr Sam 'Ohu Gon discussing a Facebook post: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.hawaiiweblog.com/2014/09/24/how-not-to-visit-a-heiau/amp

In addition to heiau, there are many other historical sites in Hawai'i worth visiting. Here's a brief listing: https://www.to-hawaii.com/oahu/ancientsites/

2017 TRIP DATES:

Until August 29:  Home on O'ahu
Sept 1-17:  East SF Bay Area
Sept 23-Oct 7:  Long Beach
Oct 5-9:  Long Beach
Oct 10-13: Las Vegas (no tattooing, I'm lecturing only)
Oct 14-15:  back in Long Beach
Oct 20 - mid-May:  Home on O'ahu


If you are interested in an appointment, please call my ASAP at 808-734-8677. It's certainly easiest to talk about the process and design meaning and such when I am at home, as once I'm in CA,  it's hard to find phone time.   You can also email me at tattoo@Lava.net.  The sooner, the better as the more appointment times you'll have to choose from! 

Aloha,
Tricia
www.thePolynesianTattoo.com
www.PolynesianTattoo.net


Copyright © 1999 - 2010 Tricia Allen
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