AltWeeklies Wire » Culture » Recreation

Giki for Tiki

By J. Caleb Mozzocco
Columbus Alive | August 18, 2005
The Eagles, the Moose and the Elks are all endangered species of sorts. Not the animals, of course, but the fraternal orders that bear their names, as many of the lodges and clubs are graying and withering.

But when the man who would eventually go by the name Kuku Ahu and his tiki-carving friend Jim Robinson wanted to take their love of the tiki subculture to the next level, they decided to model it on social groups like the animal orders and the Shriners and Freemasons.

“We were kind of left high and dry when the Kahiki went under. And while there are some national forums on the web for tiki, we just thought, ‘You know, it seems like a lot of functions happen in California and Florida, and there are a lot of us around here who would like to organize,’” Ahu explained. “So one night Jim and I decided a fraternal order would be a good way to go. If you’re going to start a social club, you might as well do it right.”

Thus Ahu became the “Tagata Ao,” or leader of the Fraternal Order of Moai, named for the Easter Island statues. “Which is all pretty crazy-sounding to you,” Ahu said. “Well, the Masons have their craziness, we have ours.”

In addition to the bastardized Polynesian codenames, the Order of Moai has its own secret initiation rituals and such, but nothing Ahu could share with a newspaper reporter.

He and Robinson originally planned on a group of maybe a dozen tiki collectors and enthusiasts, but were surprised at how quickly they’ve grown since their January 1 launch. The order now has 56 members from 12 different states, and could soon experience a growth spurt; this weekend will see their first big, public event, the Hot Rod Hula Hop.

Co-produced with the Drifters Car Club of Columbus (whose president is also a brother of the order), the Hula Hop is billed as “a tiki-tinged trip to the exotic islands of kustom kulture.” It will be held at the Voodoo Juke Joint on Henderson Road this Saturday, August 20, from noon to 2 a.m. Voodoo is usually a neighborhood blues bar, but members of the order will be bringing their own collections to transform it into a tiki bar for the day.

Ahu hopes it will appeal to people who might think tikis are neat, but don’t necessarily want to hang out at some Hawaiian party all day. So in addition to all the tiki business—three tiki DJs, Robinson’s carvings and Mai Tai vendors—there will be hot rods, artists and five bands playing rockabilly and surf music.

This is by far the biggest event the Order of Moai has attempted, but they’ve thrown private luaus for their members before. Ahu says they’ve studied the history of fraternal orders and patterned themselves after them, but they’re more of a social order than a service or religious organization. And unlike some of the older groups, the Moai have dedicated themselves to using the Internet extensively. They’ve seen the future of fraternal orders, and it’s wearing aloha shirts.

Click to fraternalorderofmoai.org for info.
Tags: recreation

Columbus Alive

Founded in 1983, Alive is the Capital City's oldest and only independent alternative and is known for providing a forum for the area's free thinkers. The paper's spirited and original perspective on music, arts and culture distinguish it from the...
More »
Contact for Reprint Rights
  • Market Served: Metropolitan Area
  • Address: 62 E. Broad St., Columbus, OH 43215
  • Phone: (614) 221-2449
www.columbusalive.com