The good souvenir: representations of Okinawa and Kinmen islands in Asia

Abstract

Representations of indigenous Okinawa shisa (Japan) and Kinmen wind lion totems (Taiwan) are popular tourist souvenirs. They are also commonly used in destination tourism promotion as logos or mascots. Some tourism research describes these practices as exploitative and damaging to local culture. Other research suggests that resident consensus, local production and government sponsorship can produce a good souvenir that benefits local identity and economy. This paper reports on a semiotic analysis of these cultural representations as found onsite at these two destinations. Photographs are interpreted as index, icon and symbol according to Peirce's semiotics compared. Seven types of representations were found that indicate complex relationships between original totems and their variations. The representations are the same for both destinations. This comparative research finds that each type of representation has a unique place in the tourism economy, but all are held together as a coherent whole by the form and location of the original totems. The good souvenir is a product of creative marketing and sponsorship and vigilant preservation of cultural heritage. The original totem form should be immutable; its value and significance increases over time. As commercial duplications proliferate, government policy should protect the originals and fix them in their physical locations.