tiki

[prettygoodword]

[Sidebar: I didn’t fully unpack yesterday that the Austronesian language family includes, as a subgroup, the Polynesian languages. It encompasses the indigenous languages of Taiwan (the Austronesian homeland), the Philippines, Madagascar, Malaysia, most of Indonesia, as well as most Pacific islands to the east and south, excluding New Guinea and the continent of Australia. The Austronesian Expansion was … expansive.] [Sidebar²: Statements that Malayo-Polynesian is a synonym for Austronesian can be readily found yet are wrong: Malayo-Polynesian is subgroup of Austronesian, covering all the languages outside of Taiwan.]


tiki (TEE-kee) - n., a figurine or talisman in humanoid form of a god or ancestor.



Thanks, WikiMedia!

Also, as an adjective, relating to an exoticized representation of Polynesian culture characterized by tiki figures, palm fronds, tropical themes, etc. -- because tiki culture is indeed weird. Among Maori, talisman versions of tiki (called hei-tiki) are sometimes worn for protection/luck. Tiki was the first man in Maori mythology, and tikis are also known by the name of the first man in Tahitian (Tiʻi), though in Hawaiian the first man was Kumuhonua and a tiki is a kiʻi -- interestingly, tikis are known only in Eastern Polynesian cultures.

Which brings up the bonus word moai (MOW-ai), one of the large stone statues on Easter Island (Rapa Nui), which even though they are representations of ancestors, not to mention highly influential on tiki culture, are not considered tikis:


Thanks, WikiMedia!

[Sidebar³: The emoji 🗿 is not actually a moai but rather a moyai, a Japanese sculpture inspired by maoi -- in the dialect of Niijima, where they were first carved, moyai means joining forces/helping each other, and mayoi are often used as meet-up landmarks.]

---L.

Comments

[mekare]

Fascinating, thank you for sharing this!

[prettygoodword]

It is fascinating, and that was an even bigger box than I realized till I started unpacking it. Even so, I had to leave so much on the cutting-room floor.

[lokifan]

in the dialect of Niijima, where they were first carved, moyai means joining forces/helping each other, and mayoi are often used as meet-up landmarks

Love that!

[prettygoodword]

I like it too, but am a little disturbed that 🗿 is that and not the original moai.