Yours, mine, ours: Exploring social relations, siapo and the protection of Traditional Cultural Expressions in Samoa

Abstract

This thesis is about siapo-­‐makers (producers of Samoan barkcloth), the social relations mediated by siapo, and approaches to protection of Traditional Knowledge (TK) and Traditional Cultural Expressions (TCEs) in Samoa. It is a qualitative, exploratory study employing in-­‐depth interviews with siapo-­‐makers and non-­‐producer experts as key informants. It aims to understand the nature of social relations mediated by siapo and how they may be affected by the regulation of TK and TCEs. It responds to the need for community-­‐based research to better understand the unique perspectives on ownership held by producers of TCEs like siapo. The production of siapo as a livelihood strategy in Samoa and its emergence as a commercialised heritage-­‐based product in the tourism industry is examined from a development perspective, taking into consideration the growing urgency for its protection as a TCE. The imminent implementation of a protection framework for TK and TCEs in Samoa may have implications for siapo-­‐makers’ livelihoods and other producers involved in Samoa’s creative/cultural industries, depending on how it is designed and implemented. I argue that a social relations approach to understanding cultural property helps to overcome the issue of homogenising communities by investigating the networks of relationships, transactions and power which mediate its production and exchange, thus may help to reduce generalisations in policy development. The findings suggest that the exchange and production of siapo is intricately bound within the Samoan social structure where social relations are partly guided by customary systems of hierarchy and traditional values of social cohesion. These complexities contribute to a challenging environment which protective systems for TK and TCEs must enhance rather than jeopardize, as the livelihoods of people who create and sell heritage-­‐based products are at stake. Keywords: Traditional cultural expressions, siapo, ownership, development, cultural property, heritage-­‐based products, traditional knowledge protection