“Look, Son, This Is Your Country:” Spacializing Influence On Perceptions Of Indigeneity

AMUKISHMI, an indigenous women-led ecotourism cooperative in Amazonian Ecuador, caters to tourists while pursuing goals of cultural valorization. In AMUKISHMI, and all other ecotourism operations, space is a critical mediator through which audiences interpret performances of indigeneity. By analyzing case studies of performances in the cooperative and in a Quito mall, I demonstrate how the control of space (or lack thereof) is critical in shaping how audiences perceive indigeneity, as well as impacting the women’s pursuit of their strategic goals.