Paper short abstract:

This paper illuminates how agency is constructed in Samoan guesthouses, how these buildings signify Samoan descent groups and their dynamics, how architectural features participate in social interaction, and the active role this material culture is playing within contemporary processes of Samoan cultural continuity and change.

Paper long abstract:

This paper views Samoan cultural continuity and change during the colonial and post-colonial period through the lens of Samoan guesthouses (<em>faletele</em> or <em>faletalimalo</em>). These structures are “hot property” signifying Samoan chieftain titles, their associated descent groups, socio-political relationships, and Samoan values of community, hospitality and openness. The paper examines how these structures become vested with agency to achieve social goals, both during their construction, and later in their use. The perpetuation of Samoan descent groups through the succession of <em>matai</em> titles is matched materially by the reconstruction of guesthouses. However, as Samoan society has become increasingly transnationalized, guesthouse design and materials have also been affected. This paper uses examples from case studies to highlight these connections. Guesthouses are further seen as an important nexus where Samoan architectural traditions are innovatively continued and adapted, and where Samoans learn, experience and reflect upon their own traditions and cultural distinctiveness.