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Hawaiian Tiki Akua Ka'ai 14" high. A tiki is a representational image often associated with wood sculptures. In Hawaiian culture, most often a tiki is associated by activating or animating it with an “akua” – a “living essence” or “spirit,” a process that involves prayer and ritual. Akua ka’ai also refers to tikis wrapped in tapa, the intended meaning of ka’ai referring to the protective cloth around an object - a “protective spirit.”
This particular akua ka'ai replica, Kona style, was taken from a burial cave near Kawaihae, Hawai'i. The original statues can be found at Bishop Museum, Hawai'i.
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