Iles Marquises : art et artisanat. La sculpture

Tiki, long ago, these sometimes imposing human like sculptures, representing familiar gods, were calles tikis, derived from Tiki, the creator and inventor of carving and statues.

The Marquesans have given them all nearly the same type of form. They can stand up to more than 2m high.

The Tiki are mainly all masculine. Conforming to the same model. They are are human-like statues, of enigmatic appearance.

They have reasonably large heads compared to the rest of their bodies.

The head looking straight forward with large well defined eyes, a large mouth, a thick torso, long arms which are either folded in front, or resting on the sides, and reasonably short legs.

The wooden Tiki have not aged well in Polynesia due to time and climatic conditions, unlike the basalt or stone.

Tiki can be carved in wood - rosewood (miro), toa (bois de fer / a very hard wood, (cordia subordata) , keetu (volcanic tuff), porous red rock or basalt.

Today local modern artists produce a very large variety bowls, platters, pestles,hair pins (for long hair), long flat stool/seats for grating coconuts, spears, adzes, clubs and fishing hooks.

The 'pestle' is an object still used in everyday life in the Marquesas.

Used mainly to pound the breadfruit (mei) into popoi ( a meal with the breadfruit, pound with the pestle and then fermented for future use.
The ka'aku, another popular and delicious meal made with the breadfruit is pounded and mixed with freshly squeezed coconut milk.
The pestle is made from different types of stone.
The finishing touches to making a pestle was and is by hammering, abrasion and piquetage, finally the surface is polished by rubbing it with a paste made up of oil and coconut charcoal.
The handle of the pestle is decorated with a carved tiki head or a bilobate phalloid.