If you do an svn co, and then install from the generated WC, the makefile 
copies .svn directories to various locations:

$ find ~/ikidev-install/share/ikiwiki/ -name ".svn"
/home/glasserc/ikidev-install/share/ikiwiki/basewiki/smileys/.svn
/home/glasserc/ikidev-install/share/ikiwiki/basewiki/subpage/.svn
/home/glasserc/ikidev-install/share/ikiwiki/basewiki/wikiicons/.svn
/home/glasserc/ikidev-install/share/ikiwiki/basewiki/templates/.svn

I think the guilty command is this one:

cp -aL basewiki/* /home/glasserc/ikidev-install//share/ikiwiki/basewiki

(PREFIX is ~/ikidev-install here.)

I don't know of a good fix. I wouldn't have discovered this except that I got 
permission denied errors when I tried to make a change and install again.
--Ethan

> I observed the same thing by running debuild from an SVN checkout and
> getting lintian warnings about the .svn directories. --[[JoshTriplett]]

> The .svn directories can be avoided in the deb by setting
> DH_ALWAYS_EXCLUDE=.svn in the environment before building.
> I prefer to use that kind of hack exterior to a package rather than
> putting in RCS-specific exclude hacks. 
> 
> [[Done]] for the install from svn checkout case. --[[Joey]]