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how the New Age Movement of shamanism has affected the performative nature of some shamans, it is

impossible to disregard their seemingly obvious exploitative showmanship as inauthentic (Joralemon, 1990).

As Peruvians or people culturally close to such practices, it can seem amusing and almost trite that tourists

would buy into over the top spiritual performances and believe them as authentic. However, it makes some

sense that the rituals performed relate to the audience and their cultural background. While showmanship may

be unnecessary, a simplification or alternative explanation may be relevant to a tourist while a Peruvian would

receive a more nuanced explanation simply due to their background (Joralemon, 1990). This does not mean

that such practitioners are inauthentic, simply that their audience has a different perception of the concept of

authenticity and so the shaman adheres to it. Even more so, the authenticity of shamans should derive from

their sincerity concerning the knowledge and services provided. However, it is not always possible to measure

sincerity, and even more unlikely to measure it accurately, leading to more juxtaposed ideas about authentic

and inauthentic shamans (Joralemon, 1990).

In this black and white view of commercialized shamanism, its evolution into exploitation takes away

indigenous people’s agency and broadly paints them as a singular entity that exists outside of their struggles

with rights and legitimacy. By participating in the misconstrued dialogue surrounding shamanism, or in its

commercialization, the tourist does not become connected to Peru and its history like they might think, rather

they become part of the destruction that indigenous groups are continuously fighting against. However, the

commercialization of shamanism also has more nuanced foundations, with shamanism having evolved

multiple times over the years to adapt their current social construct. This natural evolution of culture should

not be disregarded as superficial change, but efforts should be made to distinguish between the two in order to

recognize what is a choice and what is exploitation so that negative effects can be mitigated.

Due to the increase of tourism as a standard of the Peruvian economy, exploitation of indigenous

culture and knowledge by the government has become an issue in the industry. The balance between sharing

culture and history with the public and cheapening someone’s life in order to create what could be considered

(ironically) an “authentic” experience, has not been found in many places throughout Peru. In the Sacred

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