One of the things I really enjoy about haunting thrift stores and finding abandoned objects and researching what they are and their history is learning new things. For example, I found the carved bust pictured above on Saturday and a super thrifty thrift store. I almost didn't buy it because it was $5 and I thought it was an African wood carving. And I haven't had the greatest luck selling African wood carvings because there are a ton of them out their brought back by tourists. But there was something about this carving that I thought was special so I bought it.
I went through the first phase of research by running the image through Google lenses and discovered a few similar carvings. But most seemed to be listed as probably being from this place or that because the seller couldn't figure out exactly where they were from. I had my doubts that it was actually from Africa because of the beard and the hairstyle. It definitely didn't look African.
So I ran the image through Gemini and it went off on a tangent about it looking like Pacific Northwest Coastal Native carvings. I wasn't buying that B.S. Finally I found an image that looked almost identical and it said it was purchased from a woman in Guam who said it was a carved in Chuuk (formerly Truk Lagoon) in Micronesia and was supposed to depict giants who lived on Earth before humans.
Gemini seemed pissed when I suggest that and still insisted that it was a Coastal Native carving. ChatGPT was a bit more cooperative, especially when I shared the listing showing the carving from Chuuk. So I listed it on eBay for much more than I think an African carved bust would be worth.
But part of me really doesn't want to sell it because how many people own a carving of pre-human inhabitants of the earth. Here's what AI says about them:
The wood carvings from Chuuk (formerly Truk Lagoon) in Micronesia that are said to depict giants who lived on Earth before humans are fascinating and deeply rooted in the local oral traditions and mythology. Here's what is generally understood about them:
Legends of the Ekerebü (or similar names):
- Pre-Human Inhabitants: Chuukese legends speak of a race of beings called the Ekerebü (the name might vary slightly depending on the specific island or dialect within Chuuk). These beings are described as giants who inhabited the islands before the arrival of humans.
- Supernatural Powers: The Ekerebü are often attributed with immense strength, supernatural abilities, and a different way of life compared to humans. They are sometimes depicted as the original shapers of the islands or possessors of knowledge lost to humankind.
- Disappearance: The legends usually tell of the Ekerebü eventually disappearing or leaving the islands. The reasons for their departure vary in different stories – some say they left for other lands, others that they were transformed, or that they faded away as the human world came into being.
Carvings like mine are traditionally made from local woods, and the techniques passed down through generations reflect the resources and artistic practices of Chuuk. They represent powerful beings from a time before human settlement, embodying strength, supernatural elements, and a connection to the ancient past as understood in Chuukese traditions.
How cool is that?
