tiki
Luau bar staple
A tiki is a carved wooden or stone figure representing a Polynesian deity or ancestor, typically featuring a stylized human form with large eyes and exaggerated features.
The term extends to the mid-20th-century American aesthetic inspired by Pacific Island culture: tiki bars, tiki torches, tiki mugs.
This style evokes an idealized tropical escapism with bamboo, thatch, and rum drinks.
The backyard was decorated with tiki torches for the luau.
Traditional island celebration
- hulaGestural Polynesian dance
- leiFlower necklace
- alohaHawaiian multipurpose greeting
- ukuleleSmall Hawaiian stringed instrument
lanterns · torches · kitsch · midcentury · Americana · retro · escapism
Molasses-based liquor
- cocktailsAlcoholic blended beverages
- pineappleSpiny-skinned tropical fruit
- coconutHard-shelled tropical drupe
- bartenderOne who serves drinks
bamboo · thatch · lounge · mugs · swizzle · orgeat · exotica
Of Pacific island peoples
- deityWorshipped supernatural being
- ancestorPredecessor in lineage
- MaoriNew Zealand's indigenous people
- creationMaking something exist
Kane · guardian · sacred · mana · spiritual · legend · cosmogony · tapu
luau
Traditional island celebration
ukulele · lanterns · torches · kitsch · midcentury · Americana · retro · escapism
rum
Molasses-based liquor
- cocktailsAlcoholic blended beverages
- pineappleSpiny-skinned tropical fruit
- coconutHard-shelled tropical drupe
bartender · bamboo · thatch · lounge · mugs · swizzle · orgeat · exotica
Polynesian
Of Pacific island peoples
- deityWorshipped supernatural being
- ancestorPredecessor in lineage
- MaoriNew Zealand's indigenous people
creation · Kane · guardian · sacred · mana · spiritual · legend · cosmogony · tapu · genealogy
statue
Three-dimensional sculpted likeness
idol · effigy · figure · mask · craftsmanship · artisan · handcarved · grotesque · mouth · eyes
protection
Guarding against harm
- guardianProtective caretaker of another
- symbolRepresentational mark or sign
- amuletWorn protective token
pendant · necklace · fertility · jade · greenstone · tribal · ancestral · spirit · luck · talisman
- luauleis, luau feast, lei, hula, hula dancer
- Hawaiian culturealoha, hula, lei, luau, mahalo
- Maori heritageAotearoa, Maori, mana, pa, tapu
- indigenous loanwordsmoccasin, tomahawk, totem, wigwam, kayak
- Island MythsMaui, Kane, fire goddess, guardian spirits, sacred chants
- Pacific culturesPolynesian culture, Hawaiian culture, kava, mana, tapu
tikiGreek sculpture
Ancient carved marble figures
Roman bust · totem pole · gargoyle · crucifix · Celtic cross
tikiminimalism
Aesthetic of reduction
Scandinavian design · sterile · austere · modernism · modernist
- tiki barTropical-themed watering hole
- tiki torchDecorative outdoor fuel lamp
- tiki torchesOutdoor oil-burning yard lights
- tiki hutThatched open-air structure
- tiki drinks
- tiki maskCarved Polynesian face sculpture