Dictionary

tiki culture en · NOUN

Meanings

1. (uncountable, usually) A form of American popular culture inspired by Hawaiian, Polynesian, Melanesian and Micronesian cultures, and characterized by "exotic" ornamentation and alcoholic drinks.
   • Starting in the 1940s, thanks to returning World War II veterans, the country began a decades-long obsession with the aquamarine hues and tropical vibes of Polynesia, or at least a vague idea what Polynesia might be. It manifested as what we know as tiki culture. 2020, Dan Nosowitz, “What the Heck is Crab Rangoon Anyway?”, in J. Kenji López-Alt, editor, The Best American Food Writing 2020, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, →ISBN, page 227:
   • This year’s Hukilau was staged partially at the Mai-Kai Restaurant, which is the Angkor Wat of tiki culture. […] The restaurant opened in 1956 and has remained essentially unchanged ever since, an oasis of shrunken heads, tiki totems, and tiny waterfalls. 2011 October 3, Wayne Curtis, “From Tiki to Tacky—and Back”, in The Atlantic:
   • In reality, it is tiki culture that describes a phenomenon that seems to be stronger and more prolific today than it has ever been. A surprising number of tiki websites and thousands of other tiki-oriented pages are scattered over the internet. 2018, Geoff Alexander, America Goes Hawaiian: The Influence of Pacific Island Culture on the Mainland, McFarland, →ISBN, page 121:

Forms

Synonyms

Polynesian pop