It reflects a Western perception of Polynesia and has little to do with the cultures themselves. The wooden (and plastic) idols soon became a specialised industry in California and were then exported back to the countries they purported to come from to decorate restaurants in the way that tourists expected.

Hawaii was one of the major destinations, especially after it became one of the states of the USA in 1959. Nowadays, due to globalisation production has shifted and Californian consumers complain that, for example, all the tiki mugs now come from Spain. In a few years they will probably move east again to China…