Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
Racism 101 Asked And Answered: Mugs, Cocktails And Statues -- Is Tiki A Form Of Cultural Appropriation?
(Sam Howzit/Flickr Creative Commons)
()
WHAT IS RACISM 101?
-
We created Racism 101 to help our audience facilitate their own thought-provoking talks around race, with a conversation "starter kit," and extensive anti-racism resource guides to inform and educate. To field these questions, we assembled a panel of Angelenos willing to answer so folks didn't have to ask their friends, or even strangers.
We've solicited questions from our audience — awkward, tough-to-ask, even silly questions — that they've perhaps wanted to ask people unlike themselves, but have been too shy, embarrassed or afraid to ask.
WHAT'S ON YOUR MIND?
Q: In terms of appropriation, is tiki culture a problem?
Support for LAist comes from
Tiki culture has been a big part of SoCal life for decades, with few people questioning the cultural appropriation and colonialism that lies behind it. Started by two white men, one of whom spent some time in the Caribbean and Pacific Islands and came back with a fantasy to sell, tiki includes cherry-picked imagery and a sexualization of indigenous women that made for a much needed -- if wildly problematic -- escapism in post-war America. Its recent resurgence in craft cocktail culture has some questioning more publicly what place tiki has in society anymore.
June 21, 1963: "Walt Disney opened his Enchanted Tiki Room at Disneyland, a $1 million, 10-years-in-the-making fantasy featuring 225 mechanical birds, singing flowers and tom-tomming wooden Tiki gods." (Valley Times Collection/Los Angeles Public Library Collection)
()
The term "tiki" itself refers to both carved statues and the first man in M�?ori creation stories. Many indigenous peoples would like to reclaim the sacred term, pivoting to "tropical" instead. Groups like Pasifika Project have come out of this latest resurgence to raise awareness about "Oceania," their preferred term for the Pacific Islands, and to give indigenous peoples a voice in what has been a predominantly white movement. Their goal? To ask those who collect mugs and other tiki paraphernalia to think about the people who inhabit those islands -- how they're affected by climate change, how they've been affected by colonialism and the attempts to erase their culture. Their mission is help tiki enthusiasts who aren't part of the culture consider the ugly history that belies their sugary cocktail.
Mike, from our LAist newsroom, describes himself as mixed race. Born in Hawaii, he says that he identifies most closely with his maternal Native Hawaiian roots. Here's his take on tiki culture:
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
Censorship has long been controversial. But lately, the issue of who does and doesn’t have the right to restrict kids’ access to books has been heating up across the country in the so-called culture wars. -
With less to prove than LA, the city is becoming a center of impressive culinary creativity.
-
Nearly 470 sections of guardrailing were stolen in the last fiscal year in L.A. and Ventura counties.
-
Monarch butterflies are on a path to extinction, but there is a way to support them — and maybe see them in your own yard — by planting milkweed.
-
With California voters facing a decision on redistricting this November, Surf City is poised to join the brewing battle over Congressional voting districts.
-
The drug dealer, the last of five defendants to plead guilty to federal charges linked to the 'Friends' actor’s death, will face a maximum sentence of 65 years in prison.
Best of LAist