Originally used in ancient Polynesian and Hawaiian culture, Tiki masks are hand-carved, wooden decorative masks intended to represent deities and bestow specific traits upon the setting in which they’re placed.
What is tiki the god of?
The four major Hawaiian Tiki Gods are Ku the God of War, Lono the God of Fertility and Peace, Kane the God of Light and Life, and Kanaloa the God of the Sea. Ancient followers worshiped these Gods through prayer, chanting, surfing, lava sledding and even human sacrifice.
What does tiki look like?
By extension, a tiki is a large or small wooden or stone carving in humanoid form, although this is a somewhat archaic usage in the Māori language. Carvings similar to tikis and coming to represent deified ancestors are found in most Polynesian cultures.
Why were tiki masks created?
Tiki masks are hand-carved wooden masks that, in their original intent, were used to stand in for deities, protect their users from evil spirits or even increase the mask wearers’ fertility and luck. They served many purposes, both in the privacy of people’s homes and in everyday life.
Who made tikis?
In Polynesian mythology, tiki often represents the first human being on Earth created by the atua (deity) Tane, who, together with Hine-ahu-one, is considered humankind’s progenitors. In areas of Polynesia, carved tiki figures were often thought to be a repository for a certain god’s mana (prestige).
What does the Hawaiian tiki mean?
The Tiki statues were carved to symbolize the importance of a particular mythical deity. Tiki statues were placed by Maori tribe members to mark the boundaries of sacred grounds. The statues were given the name of Tiki from the Maori name for the first human male.
What is the origin of tiki?
The term Tiki comes from the Maori mythology. The Maori are indigenous Polynesian people of New Zealand. According to their religion, Tiki is the first men created by Gods. Ever since the old days, Polynesian tribes carved images in trees of Gods.
What does the NZ tiki mean?
hei-tiki, small neck pendant in the form of a human fetus, used by the Māori of New Zealand as a fertility symbol. Usually carved of green nephrite or a jadelike stone called pounamu that is found along the western coast of the South Island, hei-tikis normally are worn only by women.
