Galumalemana Steven Percival is a Samoan matai with a passion for old Samoan artefacts. At the Tiapapata Art Centre studio in Samoa, he and a group of heritage artists are making to'i fafau (stone axe) using the original adze that was widely used by Samoan builders before the arrival of Europeans and metal implements.
They are also making fans and combs using Samoan wood, and plant fibre.
Galumalemana has travelled extensively around the globe touring museums and galleries that house Samoan artefacts, and in this interview, he laments the fact that many of these pieces are gathering dust in backrooms and never getting exhibited. He believes these pieces must be returned to Samoa and other Pasefika countries. He also questions the way in which these artefacts came to be in the hands of private collectors who later 'gifted' them to museums and galleries around the world.
(Please click on the image to access our interview with Galumalemana Steven Percival).
