A portion of what has become known as "Tiki Culture" or "Polynesian Pop", deals with the efforts of many dedicated individuals to preserve whatever is left of a truly unique slice of Americana that has, sadly, drifted into obscurity. This preservation effort, sometimes referred to as Urban Archaeology, strives to salvage those iconographic elements that grew out of a fascination with all things "Polynesian" that began with the Great Age of American Travel in the 1920's and 30's, and culminated in the 1950's due in large part to the many thousands of GI's who served in the Pacific during the Second World War, and who experienced first hand the beauty and contradictions of these faraway lands.

If Archaeology has many branches, my own minor effort here may be classified as an attempt to save a small part of the first-hand written and printed records of those who have experienced the thrill of travel to Paradise over a period of time spanning fully half a century. As we view the photos, clippings, and mementos that these individuals preserved for their own enjoyment, we begin to get a sense of what their own visions of this world were, and to appreciate the subtle and complex imagery that we associate with Tiki Culture today.

With each passing year, many of the complete records of individual travels are deteriorating or are relegated to the rubbish heap of history, while others are broken up, making it impossible to put them into a broader context that permits a wider appreciation of the individual record. Those scrapbooks I have collected and which I will present here were almost exclusively obtained from third party sources who had no knowledge of the original owner or creator of the record. I have made attempts to research some of the records and to include the additional information in an effort to clarify the overall picture presented.

Finally, the scrapbooks are presented as I have received them, with no modifications or repairs attempted. Due to the poor state of some of the scrapbooks, I have been forced to make an effort as a conservator to repair (wherever possible) those in the most dire condition, and which without my intervention were in danger of total loss or further damage to the contents. In general, however, I am opposed to any action that alters these records from their original state.

Cyber
cannibal@cybertiki.com

For 49 years, the Mai-Kai has been an institution in Fort Lauderdale Florida. Known for it's fine cuisine, nightly floorshows, and amazing libations served by sarong clad maidens, it is an experience not to be missed. Here is the offical Mai-Kai Calendar for 1966 featuring some of the beautiful women who have graced the Mai-Kai in years gone by. As we see them posing among the lush gardens at the restaurant, we long for that lost paradise once more!

This is a historically significant scrapbook containing original photos of what I believe to be a US Marine Corps All-Black Unit who were deployed to Hawaii during the Second World War. There is a strong possibility that these are Montford Point Marines, who were deployed to work in Ammunition or Depot Companies on Oahu during the war. I have dated the scrapbook from December of 1943 with a bulk of the photos from 1944. This was accomplished by identifying aircraft records for planes shown in the scrapbook, as well as a photo of a Honolulu movie theater marquee advertising "Our Hearts were Young and Gay", which was released on September 2, 1944.

Falling at the very end of an era when travel to Hawaii by sea was preferred to travel by air, this scrapbook recounts the University of Hawaii Summer Session of Miss Janet Hudson, and her chaperone for the journey, Mrs. Margaret Pennycook. This scrapbook, composed at the height of the Cold War era, contains many references that today's readers will find interesting and occasionally amusing. It is hard to believe that America has changed so much in just over 40 years. A sense of innocence bordering on naïveté pervades the entire album, and we get a picture of Hawaii as it was just before low-cost air travel led to the huge tourist boom of the 1960's.