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View Full Version : A little Tiki Room research help please?



Tigertail777
04-08-2003, 01:44 AM
I am trying to do some research on the tiki room, and want to find some of the original Hawaiian myths and legends that they used to base the gods and goddesses on in the que. I am also wondering if anyone knows how Walt and the Imagineers went about researching this? Is there any particular books they may have used, or some burea of information in Hawaii? I have scoured the net and oddly cannot find very many myths about most of the que gods. Also any history on the "Hawaiian war chant" song would be appreciated, both the original version, and its modern counterpart. Thanks in advance for any help.:D

merlinjones
04-08-2003, 06:04 AM
There are books available on Hawaiian and Polynesian Mythology, mostly from smaller publishers. Remember that the tiki gods in the Tiki Room Lanai are gathered from all over Polynesia and Oceania (including New Zealand), not just Hawaii.

Try University of Hawaii or Polynesian Culture Center or Bishop Musem. Perhaps they have an online bookstore.

A few I have in my library:

Hawaiian Mythology - - Martha Beckwith; University of Hawaii Press 1970

Voices on the Wind; Polynesian Myths and Chants - - Katharine Luomala; Bishop Museum Press 1992

Pacific Island Legends; Tales from Micronesia, Polynesia and Australia - - Flood, Strong, Flood; the Bess Press Inc. 1999

There is a >very slim< possibility that Hilo Hatties at The Block at Orange might carry a book or two on the subject.

tod
04-08-2003, 08:55 AM
You may also want to research the interests of Disney animator/Imagineer Marc Davis, who was instrumental in the development of the attraction.

--T

FabShelly
04-08-2003, 11:26 AM
I do know that Hawaiian War Chant isn't Hawaiian - it's a WWII era big band number.

Marc's expertise was in the region of Papua New Guinea. That's where I'd start.

Fab

tod
04-08-2003, 02:41 PM
Originally posted by FabDisBabe
I do know that Hawaiian War Chant isn't Hawaiian - it's a WWII era big band number.

Actually, It was first published circa 1929 and was based on a real Hawaiian chant. (This version (http://www.lushlifemusic.com/arrangements/pdf/sm6206.pdf) is copyright 1936.) It was also a WWII-era big band number. Spike Jones did a particularly good one, with Mickey Katz, it sounds like, doing the vocals much like he did the hiccups in Cocktails for Two.


Marc's expertise was in the region of Papua New Guinea. That's where I'd start.

Fab

I knew it was around there somewhere. :D

--T

Tigertail777
04-08-2003, 02:57 PM
thanks for the help everyone! I drove my local librian crazy, but I finally found some legends and myths.... the only problem is this is confusing as heck, because each of the gods and goddesses go under different names, they each must have like 5 different names attributed to them from different islands. Plus they have weird mind bending ideas like that different gods and goddesses are not wholly seperate entities, but part of the same one... they are just seperated into parts to be able to worship what part is needed at the time. Tangaroa, appears sometimes as a woman that is very simular in form of what we see in the que (but more like mother of all gods and goddesses), and sometimes as a type of sea god that rersembles a big octopus....man this is way confusing. I think Walt and the Imagineers must have found it confusing too, and sort of mixed and matched as needed because I can find very few clear cut myths that match the ones in the que (pele, and rongo, and sort of mauie being the only real clear cut cases).

I found most of what I needed to find on the War chant, the modern version was by Tommy Dorsey in 1939 (the americanized version) the english lyrics were by Ralph Freed made in 1936. There actually was one version before the Dorsey one by Johnny Noble.

Ok thanks for the help again, and if you have anything else to chime in with, please feel free.

StartedByAMouse
04-09-2003, 11:55 AM
At one of the Ryman events, Rolly Crump talked about how the Tiki Room came to be and how he came up with the designs for the gods in the queue. It doesn't provide a lot of background for the legends the gods are based upon but it might prove somewhat useful anyway.

http://www.startedbyamouse.com/archives/RollySpeech03.html

Matt

Tigertail777
04-09-2003, 01:25 PM
Thanks, that was actually very helpful. And the site is very cool! I bookmarked it, looks like its going to be a lot of fun to peruse.:D

DigitalLizard
04-10-2003, 11:27 AM
if I still had my notes from the Mouse Adventure...
I could've given you the names of the 8 Gods
mentioned in the ride cue!

hahaha!

Tigertail777
04-10-2003, 08:11 PM
well hey I know that already... off the top of my head:

Mauie god of time (the water dipping tiki)
Rongo god of agriculture (the electric zap sound tiki)
Tangaroa-Ru the eaaast wiiind (the moving mobile headress tiki)
Hina travels with her across the seven seas (the water drip tiki)
Pele godess of fire and volcanoes (the fire head tiki)
Negendei the earth balancer (the circular rocking tiki)
Koro midnight dancer (not sure what motion koro does, if any)
Tangaroa father of all gods and godesses (all those weird creatures coming out of the branch pods)

Yes I love the tiki room! LOL

DigitalLizard
04-10-2003, 08:28 PM
WOW Tigertail777
I'm impressed!

I love the tiki room...
but that is insane!!!

LOL!

Laffite
04-10-2003, 10:48 PM
Originally posted by Tigertail777
well hey I know that already... off the top of my head:

Mauie god of time (the water dipping tiki)
Rongo god of agriculture (the electric zap sound tiki)
Tangaroa-Ru the eaaast wiiind (the moving mobile headress tiki)
Hina travels with her across the seven seas (the water drip tiki)
Pele godess of fire and volcanoes (the fire head tiki)
Negendei the earth balancer (the circular rocking tiki)
Koro midnight dancer (not sure what motion koro does, if any)
Tangaroa father of all gods and godesses (all those weird creatures coming out of the branch pods)

Yes I love the tiki room! LOL

The past MA puzzle involved the tiki gods too.

Tigertail777
04-11-2003, 12:09 AM
I have no idea what Mouseadventure stuff entails since I have never been. So am not really sure what y'all are talking about. I only get to Disneyland every 10 years or so... hopefully it will be sooner than that this time.:D

Uncle Dick
04-13-2003, 10:09 PM
This question is only tangentially related, but does anyone know the name of the Hawaiian sounding song that plays in the Tiki Garden during the Dole Pineapple commericial. It's especially distinct when the video shows some guy surfing. I thought it might have been an original composition, but then, a few months ago, Phil Hendrie played excerpts of it on his show, so I assume it must have a name. It's a really catchy tune.

Tigertail777
04-13-2003, 10:57 PM
not sure... but I am guessing its the same tune as the lanai music played at the polynesian resort in wdw? I dont know what it is, but it might maybe a version of the Hawaiian wedding song from the 1930's?.... Anyone else have any ideas???