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PITCAIRN ISLAND CARVINGS
In 1790 on the 23rd January, the remains of the ship 'Bounty' went up in flames off the rugged Polynesian island of Pitcairn. Today Pitcairners commemorate the 23rd January by towing a model of the 'Bounty' across their bay and setting it alight. The islanders, although proud of their ancestry are somewhat indifferent to the saga of 'the Mutiny on the Bounty' that has fired the imagination of the rest of the world. They are realistic about the way their tiny isolated community was founded and how it fared. When they settled Pitcairn, Fletcher Christian and the eight other men were not inspired by any ideals of freedom or equality. They evidently treated their Tahitian companions they brought with them to Pitcairn as inferiors and ironically, the small community experienced its own bloody mutinies in which most of the mutineers, including Fletcher Christian were killed. By 1800 only one of them was still alive. Stricken with remorse, Alexander Smith changed his name to John Adams and vowed to bring up the surviving children and their Tahitian mothers to be god-fearing Christians. He succeeded so well that by the time their secret hideaway was discovered in 1808, the fugitives had become a happy and pious people. In February 1808, the American sealer ship, the 'Topaz', spied land where no land was indicated on the charts. The ship's captain, called Folger, realised that this must be Pitcairn Island discovered 40 years ago by the British sloop 'Swallow' but wrongly laid down on all sea charts as lying nearly 180 miles further west. Pitcairn was literally off the map. Since being discovered, Pitcairn has spread its population. Most of the descendants of the 'Bounty' now live in Norfolk, another remote island 4000 miles to the west. Today only about 60 men, women and children remain on Pitcairn and they are 6th, 7th, and 8th generation descendants of the mutineers and Christian is still an island family name. The community runs on a fragile economy, largely subsidised by the British Government and by a flourishing trade in pretty postage stamps bearing the head of the Queen. They supplement their modest incomes by making carvings from miro wood, harvested on the coral atoll of Henderson Island, one of three other islands belonging to the Pitcairn group. Since the opening of the Panama canal, Pitcairn has been on the sea route to New Zealand and the carved and polished wooden fish are popular with visiting yachts. In some months as many as 30 ships would halt briefly off Pitcairn; in others there were none at all. The islanders collectively own two 40ft long aluminium long boats called 'Tin' and 'Tub', they are their lifelines launched to greet passing freighters and tourist boats. They go out with bags of mail, fresh fruit and the miro wood carvings completed since the last ship called. They return with cash from the tourists and with domestic goods ordered months before by post. With the advent of commercial airlines flying to New Zealand, the trans Pacific cruise liners together with commercial shipping lines declined rapidly from the early 1950's.

PITCAIRN ISLAND CARVINGS
   
Products
Image Name Price
DOLPHIN by RANDY CHRISTIAN 2005 DOLPHIN by RANDY CHRISTIAN 2005

£SOLD

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wonderful PITCAIRN ISLAND HAND of FRENDSHIP VASE wonderful PITCAIRN ISLAND HAND of FRENDSHIP VASE

£75

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BIRD by CHRISTY WARREN BIRD by CHRISTY WARREN

£195

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FLYING BIRD by FLOYD McCOY FLYING BIRD by FLOYD McCOY

£SOLD

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IVAN CHRISTIAN BOOK BOX. IVAN CHRISTIAN BOOK BOX.

£110

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LARGE TURTLE by  CHRISTY WARREN LARGE TURTLE by CHRISTY WARREN

£SOLD

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CLASSIC FISH with Teeth by WALLACE WARREN CLASSIC FISH with Teeth by WALLACE WARREN

£SOLD

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FISH by BERT CHRISTIAN. FISH by BERT CHRISTIAN.

£/SOLD

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A good Pitcairn Island fish by ERNEST CLARK A good Pitcairn Island fish by ERNEST CLARK

£SOLD

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BIRD by KEN WARREN BIRD by KEN WARREN

£SOLD

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FLYING BIRD by JOHN CHRISTIAN FLYING BIRD by JOHN CHRISTIAN

£SOLD

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PIPE RACK by William LANCY CHRISTIAN PIPE RACK by William LANCY CHRISTIAN

£SOLD

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GOOD FISH BY REYNOLD WARREN GOOD FISH BY REYNOLD WARREN

£195

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FLYING FISH by BRUCE YOUNG. FLYING FISH by BRUCE YOUNG.

£SOLD

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DOLFIN by ROYAL WARREN. DOLFIN by ROYAL WARREN.

£SOLD

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SEA GULL BY JACOB WARREN. SEA GULL BY JACOB WARREN.

£SOLD

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WALL MOUNTED FLYING FISH. WALL MOUNTED FLYING FISH.

£SOLD

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WALL MOUNTED FLYING FISH. WALL MOUNTED FLYING FISH.

£sold

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FISH BY COLIN HALL FISH BY COLIN HALL

£SOLD

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BIRD HEAD WALKING STICK BIRD HEAD WALKING STICK

£SOLD

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Bird by CHRISTY WARREN Bird by CHRISTY WARREN

£SOLD

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VERY GOOD FISH by WILES WARREN VERY GOOD FISH by WILES WARREN

£SOLD

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POST CARD POST CARD

£35

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RARE LARGE DATED FISH by FRED CHRISTIAN 1953 RARE LARGE DATED FISH by FRED CHRISTIAN 1953

£SOLD

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RARE PAIR OF BOOK ENDS RARE PAIR OF BOOK ENDS

£SOLD

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PIPE RACK by CHRISTIE WARREN PIPE RACK by CHRISTIE WARREN

£SOLD

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WALL MOUNTED FISH by HENRY YOUNG WALL MOUNTED FISH by HENRY YOUNG

£SOLD

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RARE BOX by FRED CHRISTIAN RARE BOX by FRED CHRISTIAN

£SOLD

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PAIR OF FRIENDSHIP VASES. c.1930's PAIR OF FRIENDSHIP VASES. c.1930's

£SOLD

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FISH by RADLEY CHRISTIAN FISH by RADLEY CHRISTIAN

£SOLD

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EARLY FISH. EARLY FISH.

£SOLD

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FISH by JACOB WARREN FISH by JACOB WARREN

£SOLD

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FISH by LEE BROWN FISH by LEE BROWN

£SOLD

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The hospitable behaviour of the Governor of Timor to Lieutenant Bligh pub.1802 The hospitable behaviour of the Governor of Timor to Lieutenant Bligh pub.1802

£45

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FISH BY BRUCE YOUNG FISH BY BRUCE YOUNG

£195 reserved

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GOOD FLYING FISH by BRUCE YOUNG GOOD FLYING FISH by BRUCE YOUNG

£SOLD

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Postcard of FRED & PARKIN CHRISTIAN c1977 Postcard of FRED & PARKIN CHRISTIAN c1977

£25

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HUGE HAND VASE by PERVIS YOUNG HUGE HAND VASE by PERVIS YOUNG

£125

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TURTLE Signed W.R.WARREN. TURTLE Signed W.R.WARREN.

£95

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FLYING SEA GULL by BRUCE YOUNG FLYING SEA GULL by BRUCE YOUNG

£125

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Unusual Small HAND of FRIENDSHIP VASE Unusual Small HAND of FRIENDSHIP VASE

£68

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SMILING FISH by CLINTON WARREN SMILING FISH by CLINTON WARREN

£SOLD

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BOOK BOX by TOMMY WARREN BOOK BOX by TOMMY WARREN

£SOLD

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EXCEPTIONAL BRUCE YOUNG FISH dated 1957 EXCEPTIONAL BRUCE YOUNG FISH dated 1957

£SOLD

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IMPORTANT FISH by LANCY CHRISTIAN. IMPORTANT FISH by LANCY CHRISTIAN.

£SOLD

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JACOB WARREN "Night Fury" JACOB WARREN "Night Fury"

£SOLD

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GOOD FISH by FRED BROWN. GOOD FISH by FRED BROWN.

£SOLD

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Good Fsh by CALVERT WARREN Good Fsh by CALVERT WARREN

£sold

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CARVED PITCAIRN !SLAND FISH CARVED PITCAIRN !SLAND FISH

£SOLD

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BERT CHRISTIAN, Fish BERT CHRISTIAN, Fish

£195 / SOLD

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VERY GOOD FISH by THOMAS CHRISTIAN VERY GOOD FISH by THOMAS CHRISTIAN

£375

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Nice fish by IVAN CHRISTIAN Nice fish by IVAN CHRISTIAN

£225

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Large fish by HENRY YOUNG. Large fish by HENRY YOUNG.

£240

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RARE Dated Hand & Goblet wall vase. RARE Dated Hand & Goblet wall vase.

£165

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WONDERFUL EARLY FISH. WONDERFUL EARLY FISH.

£280

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CLINTON WARREN FISH CLINTON WARREN FISH

£225

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