Aloha!

Here in the virtual islands one of our core values is Preservation. In practice that means that we seek to document the history of tiki culture and learn the skills of Polynesian pop art. Doing this requires getting out of the hammock and leaving the beach to do research in the real world. Recently Fellow Moai ZuluMagoo gave a presentation on Tiki architecture to a standing room only audience at The Hukilau after months of research and contacting primary sources so we asked him to stop by and tell us about the project.

Researching Polynesian Pop History and Architecture
By Mike Skinner, P.E.

Tikiphiles are drawn to Polynesian Pop culture for many different reasons. Some grew up with the culture at their parents' backyard luaus, some are fascinated with the elaborate and fantastic drinks, while others are drawn to the music or collections of tiki mugs and menus. While I enjoy all of those elements, my tiki passion is exotic architecture and design. In my day job, I'm a Professional Civil Engineer—I design highways—but I have always had a keen interest in architecture. Back in January, Tiki Kiliki (Christie White, organizer of The Hukilau) graciously accepted my offer to present a seminar at the 2008 Hukilau, and I was given the opportunity to share my interest with 185 other tikiphiles who attended my seminar. Now that I was part of the scheduled entertainment, I had to start putting together my presentation. I was originally given an hour, but requested an hour and a half because I had so much information I wanted to share.

A small handful of excellent books have been published on the history of Polynesian Pop, including The Book of Tiki, Tiki Modern, Tiki Road Trip, Sippin' Safari, and a few others. But there is very little information out there about the designers and architects who put pen to paper and made these exotic fantasies a reality. I reviewed all of the existing material that I could find and discovered that I would need to do much more in depth research to tell the story that I wanted to share. So I began researching for my presentation about eight months before the show. I really enjoyed giving the presentation; however, I found that doing the research and digging up this "lost" information was the most enjoyable part of this endeavor. But where to start? Do an Internet search for tiki architecture or any of the specific designers and you won't find much, if anything at all. At this point you must put on your urban archeologist hat and really dig in. Here are a few sources that I used to gain some invaluable information.

Original Architects and Firms

These were an excellent place to start. I found and contacted SEM Architects in Columbus, Ohio and also eventually personally tracked down Mr. Ned Eller, AIA (one of the original architects of the Kahiki, now retired). After I told them what I was doing, they shared their Kahiki archive material with me and even made copies for me. Mr. Eller was thrilled to find out that there was a group of people that, decades later, still had a strong passion for one of his structures and wanted to learn more about.

I also contacted architectural historians from two firms located in Honolulu, Hawaii. They graciously supplied me with a large document they had recently published documenting the 1950s buildings of Waikiki. This document contained excellent background, artwork and pictures of the classic extinct Polynesian Pop structures (e.g, The Waikikian, The International Market Place, etc.).

Local History Collections

I can't say enough about how valuable the historical collections are at local libraries and historical societies. First place to start: online. Check to see if they have a historical database. I have found some great pictures from these places with a little digging. Next, visit the main branch of the library system. It will probably have a historical collection. Do yourself a huge favor before you start digging thru these dusty old archives: tell the reference librarians what you are doing and that you really have no idea what you expect to find. It has been my experience every time that they have gone above and beyond to help me. They have dug out old newspaper files, pulled pamphlets and brochures, old phone books, local files, etc. They have knowledge and access to resources you would have never thought about. Actually, they are thrilled when someone actually challenges them to use their research skills and will really be helpful. Our main branch here in Denver has excellent resources, I have also visited the main branch of the Los Angles Public Library in downtown Los Angeles (massive phone book resource) during a few business trips to SoCal. During the 2007 Hukilau down in Ft. Lauderdale, I took an afternoon off and went to visit the Ft. Lauderdale Historical Society. As I had hoped, they had an archive file with information about the Mai Kai and also information about another local structure that I was hoping to find some information about, the lovely Kona Kottage.

Site Visits

After your visit to the local history collection, you will undoubtedly have a list of Polynesian Pop that existed in your area; now go out and find them! Unfortunately, most of them will be gone or remodeled so that all traces of tiki have disappeared. But there are times you will find a diamond in the rough. They are still out there, but fading fast. You must quickly hunt down and document these places. I have made lots of exploration trips here locally, and I have made several trips back out to SoCal specifically to hunt down tiki structures (makes for a great tiki weekender, especially if you bring another tikiphile on the journey). I've also made urban archeology side trips during visits to Hukilau and Tiki Oasis and have always uncovered places.

Personal Contacts

This is the hard one, and sometimes you just have to get lucky. After lots of research, you will begin to develop a list of names of people who were associated with these places; they may have been the owner, the designer, the architect, etc. Try to find them, or a close relative. Go back to the online phone books and start digging. I had the very good fortune of finding and contacting the family of restaurant designer George Nakashima. George is one of the unsung heroes of Polynesian Pop culture, as he was responsible, along with his design partner Florian Gabriel, for designs of the Luau (Beverly Hills), Steven Crane's Kon-Tiki chain (multiple locations), improvements to the Mai Kai (Ft. Lauderdale), The Hanalei (San Diego), The Mauna Loa (Detroit), Tommy Wong's Island (Denver) and several others. George's son shared lots of stories, pictures, files, etc. with me when I told him I would be presenting a seminar partially about his dad and the wonderful career he had.

Network

There is a large group of fellow tikiphiles out there that shares your obsession with tiki; use them. We all know a little something special about tiki, something that nobody else knows, probably about someplace in our local area. Talk to them and share your stories. For example, while I was preparing my Hukilau seminar, I gave Christie (Tiki Kiliki) a quick update about finding George Nakashima's family and all of the great stuff they gave me about George and Florian. When I mentioned Florian, she chimed in that a friend of hers out in LA had just stumbled across the estate sale of Florian Gabriel a few months prior and that I should contact him. I did and we shared our materials with each other. It was amazing to see how the stuff fit together like a puzzle, filling in the information gaps we each had. If I had not mentioned it, I would have never learned of the source. Additionally, we are now good friends.

Winning the Showcase Showdown on The Price is Right

This was a once in a lifetime opportunity, but I contacted Mai Kai management several months before Hukilau 2008 and shared my story. Christie had also informed them of what I was doing. I asked if it would be possible to research their archives and they graciously agreed. Kern and Pia were a massive help with all of their efforts. They pulled information, newsletters, photos from their offices, and even dug out old architectural plans and decorations from the offsite warehouse. I traveled out a day before Hukilau and we spent an entire morning going thru these rare original documents and architectural plans. I was taking notes like crazy to add to my seminar a few days later. We then toured the restaurant with the plans in hand, visualizing the former locations of old dining rooms and the old bar before various renovations were done. It was a great experience and I tried to share as much of this lost information with any Hukilauer who would listen to me ramble on during the weekend.

So: what can you take away from all this? Simple. We all have a passion for Polynesian Pop culture and the retro lifestyle it represents. When you find a little piece of this forgotten history, share it. We all want to hear it. Post it online, write an article for a magazine or newsletter, give a seminar at a tiki event; do something with that info, don't let it be lost again. I have had the fortunate opportunity to attend five Tiki Oasis events and three Hukilaus, but the 2008 Hukilau was my most memorable. Why? Because of all the research I had done and then shared with fellow enthusiasts who wanted to hear about it. I guarantee you will be well rewarded for your hard work and effort. Good luck hunting!

Keep the torches burning,

— Tagata Maori Rogorogo