Fijian Treasures in International Museums – a Study of Repatriation, Ownership and Cultural Rights
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I YAU VAKAVITI: FIJIAN TREASURES IN INTERNATIONAL MUSEUMS – A STUDY OF REPATRIATION, OWNERSHIP AND CULTURAL RIGHTS TARISI SOROVI VUNIDILO A thesis in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY in Pacific Studies The University of Auckland New Zealand 2015 TABLE OF CONTENTS I YAU VAKAVITI: FIJIAN TREASURES IN INTERNATIONAL MUSEUMS – A STUDY OF REPATRIATION, OWNERSHIP AND CULTURAL RIGHTS ............................................................ 1 LIST OF FIGURES...........................................................................................................................................X LIST OF TABLES ........................................................................................................................................ XIII ABBREVIATIONS ...................................................................................................................................... XIV ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................................................... XVI DEDICATION ........................................................................................................................................... XVIII DECLARATION OF ORIGINALITY ....................................................................................................... XIX ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .......................................................................................................................... XX NA VAKAVINAVINAKA ............................................................................................................................... XXIII 1 CHAPTER ONE ............................................................................................................................. 1 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Background ................................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Aims and Objectives .................................................................................................................. 4 1.3 Research Questions ................................................................................................................... 5 1.4 Rationale ........................................................................................................................................ 5 1.5 Significance of this Research.................................................................................................. 6 1.6 Research Sites as Context of Study ...................................................................................... 7 1.6.1 Case Study 1: Fiji Museum, Suva, Fiji ................................................................................................................... 9 1.6.2 Case Study 2: Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, Cambridge, England ...........................10 1.6.3 Case Study 3: Museum Of Anthropology, Vancouver, Canada ................................................................10 1.7 Research Designs and Methodology ................................................................................ 11 1.8 Research Sampling .................................................................................................................. 11 1.8.1 Fieldwork Preparation .............................................................................................................................................11 1.8.2 Preliminary Research (PIMA) ...............................................................................................................................12 1.8.3 Fieldwork Approach ..................................................................................................................................................13 1.9 Postcolonial Theoretical Framework .............................................................................. 15 1.10 Data Analysis .......................................................................................................................... 18 1.11 Ethical Considerations ........................................................................................................ 18 1.12 Summary of Findings .......................................................................................................... 18 1.13 Challenges Faced During The Research ....................................................................... 19 1.14 Research Assumptions ....................................................................................................... 21 1.15 Claim to Originality .............................................................................................................. 22 1.16 Outline of Thesis .................................................................................................................... 22 2 CHAPTER TWO .........................................................................................................................26 i POSTCOLONIAL THEORY: THEORETICAL AND CONCEPTUAL PERSPECTIVES...................................... 26 2.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 26 2.2 Museum Definition .................................................................................................................. 27 2.3 Role of Museums ...................................................................................................................... 29 2.4 Museum Perspectives ............................................................................................................ 30 2.4.1 Imperial view ...............................................................................................................................................................30 2.4.2 Postcolonial view ........................................................................................................................................................32 2.4.3 Neo-liberal view ..........................................................................................................................................................33 2.5 Theorising Museums .............................................................................................................. 34 2.6 Postcolonial Theory ................................................................................................................ 35 2.7 Museum and Collections ....................................................................................................... 39 2.8 Museums and Repatriation ................................................................................................. 39 2.9 Past and Recent Repatriations ........................................................................................... 42 2.10 International Initiatives on Indigenous People ........................................................ 43 2.11 Pacific and Fiji Situation ..................................................................................................... 44 2.12 Concluding Remarks ............................................................................................................ 45 3 CHAPTER THREE .....................................................................................................................46 HISTORY OF MUSEUMS, APPROPRIATION AND REPATRIATION ............................................................ 46 3.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 46 3.2 History of Museums ................................................................................................................ 47 3.3 Museums and Memories ....................................................................................................... 48 3.4 Museums of Ancient Times ................................................................................................. 48 3.4.1 Museums in Medieval Times ..................................................................................................................................50 3.4.2 Museums in the Fifteenth Century ......................................................................................................................51