Fraternal Order of Moai
Encyclopedia
The Fraternal Order of Moai (FOM; also often known as The Moai) is a fraternal order and social club founded in 2005 by Matt "Kuku Ahu" Thatcher, Jim "Chisel Slinger" Robinson and Joel "Cowtown Kahuna" Gunn. The Order uses the Moai
statues of Rapa Nui as a theme. An initial goal of the group was to preserve the history of and artifacts from the closed Kahiki Supper Club in Columbus, Ohio.
Members are often fans of tiki culture
, the Polynesian pop era, mid-century modern
style, and kustom kulture
and these styles are reflected in the events held by the group. Some members are artists who produce music, carvings and ceramics that tie into the theme of the group.
Even though the group participates in many public events the organization operates like a secret society and many members only identify themselves using aliases. Leaders of the group use obscure titles that combine words from several Polynesian languages.
The group exhibits a bizarre sense of humor and places references to use of time travel technology, combating a zombie outbreak and cloning technology in official information published online. Much of this information refers to a claimed network of scientific research labs in the continental United States called the F.O.M. Test Labs.
The events and activities of the Order reflect their core values Good Works, Fellowship, Spirit, Presence, Preservation and Celebration.
The Order is an Ohio non-profit corporation and a tax exempt 501(c)(10) Domestic Fraternal Society.
Membership is selective. Interested adults must complete a membership process after requesting membership.
Kahiki (Central Ohio)
Kon-Tiki (Southwest Ohio)
Red Palms (Illinois)
Gumbo Limbo (South Florida)
Queequeg (New England)
Kokoru (Chesapeake Bay)
Kahanui (Denver, Colorado)
Te Āporo Nui (New York City)
as its national charity and proceeds from events are donated to the foundation.
In addition, individual members and chapters volunteer and raise money for charities:
The Illinois chapter is very active in their community doing service projects like adopting a highway, recycling computers for local schools, and sending care packages to American soldiers serving abroad. They have organized fund raising events for CatNap from the Heart, a nonprofit animal shelter.
The South Florida chapter support various animal related charities, a shared interest among the founding members, including the Broward Humane Society Paw Path.
The New England chapter supports the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and was the top fundraising team in Maine in 2009, raising over $10,000. They have also participated in the annual Conquer Chiari walk.
The Chesapeake Bay chapter engages in efforts to improve the health care and education for the peoples of greater Polynesia and fields a team for the Komen Race for the Cure to support breast cancer research.
The Southwest Ohio chapter has donated a portion of event proceeds from Festiki to the Surfrider Foundation, a non-profit environmental organization dedicated to the protection and enhancement of the world's waves and beaches.
The Denver chapter supports the Dumb Friends League, the largest animal welfare organization in the Rocky Mountain region, and participates in their annual Furry Scurry fundraising walk.
Hot Rod Hula Hop
Held from 2005-2008 this event combined a car show with a luau dinner party featuring entertainment from live bands from around the United States including Waitiki and The Cocktail Preachers. A silent auction at Hot Rod Hula Hop IV raised $1,252 for the Easter Island Foundation.
NorthEast Tiki Tour
Started in 2007 the NorthEast Tiki Tour (a.k.a. NETT) is an annual bus tour which stops at a changing list of tiki bars and Polynesian restaurants. The tour often includes the world's largest Chinese restaurant: Kowloon Restaurant
in Saugus, Massachusetts. Postings by the group on Facebook indicate that after a hiatus in 2009 the tour will return in 2010.
Surf Ohio Festiki
Billed as a family friendly celebration of sun, surf, sand & summer, the first annual Festiki was held on August 15, 2009, at Carillon Park in Dayton, Ohio. A portion of proceeds from the event were donated to the Surfrider Foundation. The second annual event was held August 14, 2010 at Old River Park in Dayton, Ohio, and was one of the dates on the Space Cossacks' reunion tour that summer.
Ohana Luau at the Lake
Billed as three spectacular tiki-soaked days of music and fun at the incredible Tiki Motor Inn Resort in Lake George, New York, Ohana was held September 18–20, 2009 and $3,000 in proceeds from the event were donated to the Easter Island Foundation to support youth programs and a scholarship. The second annual event was held June 25–27, 2010 and $5,000 in proceeds from the event were donated to the Easter Island Foundation to support scholarships. The third annual event was held June 23–26, 2011. The fourth annual event will be held June 21-24, 2012.
National Convention
The Order held a national convention in 2010 to celebrate the fifth anniversary of the founding of the group which is called "Poreko." The location was not revealed in advance but the event appears to have been held in Lake George, NY, just after Ohana Luau at the Lake 2010.
Chicago Area Tiki Tour
The Red Palms Chapter of the Order sponsored a bus tour of tiki bars in the Chicagoland area September 30-October 2, 2011. The event, called CATT, was similar to the already established NorthEast Tiki Tour (NETT). All proceeds from a charity raffle at the event benefited CatNap from the Heart, a local non-profit animal shelter.
Moai
Moai , or mo‘ai, are monolithic human figures carved from rock on the Chilean Polynesian island of Easter Island between the years 1250 and 1500. Nearly half are still at Rano Raraku, the main moai quarry, but hundreds were transported from there and set on stone platforms called ahu around the...
statues of Rapa Nui as a theme. An initial goal of the group was to preserve the history of and artifacts from the closed Kahiki Supper Club in Columbus, Ohio.
Members are often fans of tiki culture
Tiki culture
Tiki kitsch culture is a 20th-century theme used in Polynesian-style restaurants and clubs originally in the United States and then, to a lesser degree, around the world...
, the Polynesian pop era, mid-century modern
Mid-century modern
Mid-Century modern is an architectural, interior and product design form that generally describes mid-20th century developments in modern design, architecture, and urban development from roughly 1933 to 1965...
style, and kustom kulture
Kustom Kulture
"Kustom Kulture" is an American neologism used to describe the artworks, vehicles, hairstyles, and fashions of those who drove and built custom cars and motorcycles in the United States of America from the 1950s through today....
and these styles are reflected in the events held by the group. Some members are artists who produce music, carvings and ceramics that tie into the theme of the group.
Even though the group participates in many public events the organization operates like a secret society and many members only identify themselves using aliases. Leaders of the group use obscure titles that combine words from several Polynesian languages.
The group exhibits a bizarre sense of humor and places references to use of time travel technology, combating a zombie outbreak and cloning technology in official information published online. Much of this information refers to a claimed network of scientific research labs in the continental United States called the F.O.M. Test Labs.
Logo
The Order uses a crest as a logo and displays it on casual and ceremonial clothing, printed materials, and web sites. The logo is a blue moai which resembles the large fireplace at the now demolished Kahiki Supper Club in Columbus, Ohio. The forehead of the Moai is stamped with MMV to mark the founding of the Order in 2005. The blue moai protects a lit flame which serves as a reminder of lost landmarks like the Kahiki Supper Club. The logo is normally displayed with the full name of the organization stamped on the base of the moai or the initials F.O.M. above it in a stylized script.Purpose
The Order's mission statement describes it as the "premier fraternal organization and social network for all men and women interested in tiki culture and the Polynesian pop era."The events and activities of the Order reflect their core values Good Works, Fellowship, Spirit, Presence, Preservation and Celebration.
The Order is an Ohio non-profit corporation and a tax exempt 501(c)(10) Domestic Fraternal Society.
Membership
Members of the group are referred to as Fellow Moai and senior members called The Honui wear a distinctive blue fez at events. There are members throughout the United States and in parts of Canada.Membership is selective. Interested adults must complete a membership process after requesting membership.
Chapters
The Order currently has seven active chapters in the United States and claims to be forming additional chapters in other regions.Kahiki (Central Ohio)
Kon-Tiki (Southwest Ohio)
Red Palms (Illinois)
Gumbo Limbo (South Florida)
Queequeg (New England)
Kokoru (Chesapeake Bay)
Kahanui (Denver, Colorado)
Te Āporo Nui (New York City)
Good Works
The Order has named the Easter Island FoundationEaster Island Foundation
The Easter Island Foundation is an American non-profit organization that promotes the conservation and protection of the fragile cultural heritage of Rapa Nui and other Polynesian islands.-Background of the Foundation:...
as its national charity and proceeds from events are donated to the foundation.
In addition, individual members and chapters volunteer and raise money for charities:
The Illinois chapter is very active in their community doing service projects like adopting a highway, recycling computers for local schools, and sending care packages to American soldiers serving abroad. They have organized fund raising events for CatNap from the Heart, a nonprofit animal shelter.
The South Florida chapter support various animal related charities, a shared interest among the founding members, including the Broward Humane Society Paw Path.
The New England chapter supports the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and was the top fundraising team in Maine in 2009, raising over $10,000. They have also participated in the annual Conquer Chiari walk.
The Chesapeake Bay chapter engages in efforts to improve the health care and education for the peoples of greater Polynesia and fields a team for the Komen Race for the Cure to support breast cancer research.
The Southwest Ohio chapter has donated a portion of event proceeds from Festiki to the Surfrider Foundation, a non-profit environmental organization dedicated to the protection and enhancement of the world's waves and beaches.
The Denver chapter supports the Dumb Friends League, the largest animal welfare organization in the Rocky Mountain region, and participates in their annual Furry Scurry fundraising walk.
Events
The group presents many public events, often with sponsorship from other groups and companies including: Dole Foods, Surf Ohio, Trader Vic's, Kahiki Foods, Royer Corporation, Barritt's Bermuda Stone Ginger Beer, and Landshark Beer. These events often have a charity fundraising component such as a silent auction or live auction of donated items.Hot Rod Hula Hop
Held from 2005-2008 this event combined a car show with a luau dinner party featuring entertainment from live bands from around the United States including Waitiki and The Cocktail Preachers. A silent auction at Hot Rod Hula Hop IV raised $1,252 for the Easter Island Foundation.
NorthEast Tiki Tour
Started in 2007 the NorthEast Tiki Tour (a.k.a. NETT) is an annual bus tour which stops at a changing list of tiki bars and Polynesian restaurants. The tour often includes the world's largest Chinese restaurant: Kowloon Restaurant
Kowloon Restaurant
Kowloon Restaurant, described as America's largest Asian dining complex, is on busy "Restaurant Row" along Route 1 in Saugus, Massachusetts. Visiting the restaurant is a tradition for many New England families on birthdays and anniversaries...
in Saugus, Massachusetts. Postings by the group on Facebook indicate that after a hiatus in 2009 the tour will return in 2010.
Surf Ohio Festiki
Billed as a family friendly celebration of sun, surf, sand & summer, the first annual Festiki was held on August 15, 2009, at Carillon Park in Dayton, Ohio. A portion of proceeds from the event were donated to the Surfrider Foundation. The second annual event was held August 14, 2010 at Old River Park in Dayton, Ohio, and was one of the dates on the Space Cossacks' reunion tour that summer.
Ohana Luau at the Lake
Billed as three spectacular tiki-soaked days of music and fun at the incredible Tiki Motor Inn Resort in Lake George, New York, Ohana was held September 18–20, 2009 and $3,000 in proceeds from the event were donated to the Easter Island Foundation to support youth programs and a scholarship. The second annual event was held June 25–27, 2010 and $5,000 in proceeds from the event were donated to the Easter Island Foundation to support scholarships. The third annual event was held June 23–26, 2011. The fourth annual event will be held June 21-24, 2012.
National Convention
The Order held a national convention in 2010 to celebrate the fifth anniversary of the founding of the group which is called "Poreko." The location was not revealed in advance but the event appears to have been held in Lake George, NY, just after Ohana Luau at the Lake 2010.
Chicago Area Tiki Tour
The Red Palms Chapter of the Order sponsored a bus tour of tiki bars in the Chicagoland area September 30-October 2, 2011. The event, called CATT, was similar to the already established NorthEast Tiki Tour (NETT). All proceeds from a charity raffle at the event benefited CatNap from the Heart, a local non-profit animal shelter.