Tiki Activity (Home Activity)

Tiki idol faces all have different meanings. For this activity, you are to choose a chemical element, draft a tiki that represents your element, and then write a couple of paragraphs explaining why the designs on your tiki embody your element.

There are many meanings to the faces on a tiki – Traditional Polynesian tiki’s all have different meanings in their faces. If the eyes are looking up the tiki will offer protection. The eyes looking down brings good luck. The mouth of the tiki can be smiling to show happiness or open to bring peace. If the tongue is sticking out that is the sign of a warrior. Here is one reference to read more: Tiki Mask Meanings – Tiki History | Forever Bamboo (Links to an external site.) However, there are several other references available online and you are welcome to do additional research.

If you are not good at freehand drawing, here are some websites with printable tiki images that you can color in and customize with additional pieces:

http://www.getcoloringpages.com/tiki-coloring-pages (Links to an external site.)

Free Tiki Mask Coloring Page (coloringcafe.com) (Links to an external site.)

Here is a website with a tutorial for how to draw your own tiki face freehand (or by tracing his different elements): http://stitchlily.blogspot.com/2012/08/how-to-draw-tiki-head.html (Links to an external site.)

You are welcome to draw your tiki, mold your tiki out of clay or another medium, print off one of the tiki images from the internet and customize it, etc.

One semester a student chose iron as their chemical element. They did a tiki with a warrior face because iron was often used in making weapons. They added other designs above the tiki’s eyes to symbolize other things they thought that iron represented. Their write up detailed some facts about iron, and explained the various pieces they had drawn on their tiki.