Paper short abstract:

In this paper I examine indigenous cultural presentations by an Embera community in Panama. I argue that the very process of making their culture available to tourists contributes to the definition of Embera identity, as this is experienced by outsiders, and embodied by the Embera themselves.

Paper long abstract:

In this paper I examine indigenous cultural presentations for Western tourists in an allegedly 'inauthentic' Embera community in Panama, which entertains tourists on a daily basis. I challenge the idea, introduced by several travellers who seek authentic experiences, that the community in question is 'unreal' and its repetitive representations of Embera culture are mechanical, sterile and unoriginal. I argue instead that repetitive cultural performances for tourists, through their recurring reproduction, provide opportunities for culture experimentation: new possibilities for defining tradition and indigenous identity, new culturally established routes for escaping economic isolation. Cultural presentations for tourists, in this context, connect the indigenous community with the wider economy and enhance the visibility of the Embera both internationally and within Panamanian society. In this respect, the host culture is not merely the focus of tourist development, but also a facilitator of political representation. And as such, the very process of making their culture available to tourists contributes to the definition of Embera identity, as this is experienced by outsiders, and embodied (through daily performance) by the Embera themselves.

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