By Eleanor Gee

Renown Hawaii based Tongan Master Carver, Tu‘ione Pulotu, has carved a massive Tongan tiki - at over 4.5 metres tall, probably the biggest in the country, which will be displayed at the Nuku'alofa Tanoa Hotel swimming pool area.

The tiki is made of red cedar from Lakepa and stands around 15 to 16 feet tall.

“I worked on it a couple of days before I went to Vava’u last week. I roughed it out and I went. When I came back it took me a couple of days, Monday and Tuesday to finish it with the machine,” he said.

Normally, the 83-year-old sands down his carvings with sandpaper but because the tiki is so huge he finished it with a chainsaw, and said the different textures of the wood look better than being smooth.

“All that’s left to do is to oil the carving to protect the wood.”

Returning to Hawaii

Tu’ione, who has been stranded in Tonga due to the border closure since he arrived on 7 March 2020, is looking forward to returning to Hawaii next week to see his family.

He will transit in New Zealand and fly to Los Angeles and then fly to Honolulu where he has to quarantine at home for two weeks.

However, he said it had been worth staying in Tonga where he was working on his carving projects at the Tanoa Hotel and also ran a canoe carving program to teach young people carving skills.

“We did a lot of work, building and making canoes for the people."

Tanoa Hotel Manager Jason Strickland has enjoyed having Tu'ione working on his art at the hotel.

"Tu’ione is a really hard-working guy - working from 7 in the morning to 7 at night and only has a lunch break."

He said when the border shut, Tu’ione had a vision to build 100 canoes and he had achieved it. 

"He achived over 100 actually, 50 in Tongatapu, 20 in Ha’apai, 20 in ‘Eua, 15 in Vava’u.”

Future

Tu’ione said he plans to return to Tonga as soon as possible to finish work on another project for the Fanga’uta Lagoon.

“It’s so beautiful, it’s just sitting there waiting for somebody to do something with it.”

“So, I’m making two double hulled and five big outrigger canoes to have a tour of the lagoon.”

Tu’ione’s vision is for people to ride the canoes on the lagoon and enjoy the view.

He said he went out on the lagoon up to Lapaha “wow what a beautiful sight to look from the water out”.

“It’s going to be a real good thing for Tonga, add to their activities, and people who do not have anything better to do can go ride the canoe.”

“So, I have to come back and finish that off.”

Tui’one grew up in Pangai, Ha’apai. He moved to Hawaii in 1960 when he was 21-years-old and was interested in learning the art of carving.

Some of his prominent work was done as the principal builder of the Polynesian Cultural Center’s (PCC) Hawaiian Village, which included pili grass thatching roofs (once a lost art form), crafted canoes from Polynesian societies, tiki carvings and other wood works displayed around at the PCC and around Hawaii. In 1964, he assisted in completing a duplicate Kamehameha statue displayed in Washington DC.

In 1999, he was commissioned to build a 105-foot-long canoe ‘Mileniume’ for Tonga’s King Tupou IV. In 2000, he was commissioned to build a 57-foot-long Wa’a Kaulua Hawaiian canoes ‘Iosepa’ for Brigham Young University – Hawai'i's Jonathan Napela Center for Hawaiian Language and Culture.

He is also a Living Treasures of Hawaii award recipient.