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a somewhat inevitable product of globalization and the tourism industry, has led to many questions on the

concept of true shamanism and the evolution of indigenous culture. Although potentially detrimental to the

state of indigenous knowledge in Peru, it can be assumed this commercialization will remain a staple of

shamanic tourism in the near future, and understanding and utilizing the potential benefits could serve to

better protect people from the negative effects it may have.

It has been agreed upon that shamans are a western conception, a romanticization of the ancient and

spiritual. Most of the so-called shamans that are authentic reject the word, and in Peru prefer to go by

curanderos. However for the purpose of this paper, and because we are discussing such practices specifically

in the context of Western consumers, the words shaman and shamanism will still be used. It could also be

posited that shaman is the correct word for such commercialized practices because both the practice and the

word are potentially inauthentic and therefore should be used together to be distinguished from what could be

considered “true” shamanism. To tourists many times the shaman is seen as a spectacle rooted in the past, he

is characterized. The Western idea of the shaman has carried over from its nomenclature to how it exists in

real life. Now sometimes shamans are seen as associated with scams that delegitimize the sacredness

associated with traditional medicine due to the fact that it is becoming hard to determine who is authentic and

who is not (Kordova & Ventegodt, 2016). What is defined as authentic differs from person to person, and this

creates problems with defining criteria for the authenticity of shamans amidst commercialization (Joralemon,

1990). Peruvians and tourists have vastly different perceptions on who would be considered an authentic

shaman. However, at its fundamental level, to determine who is a true shaman or curandero, it must first be

determined who has the right to the indigenous knowledge that shamanistic practices derive from and who

would be using this knowledge correctly. It seems as though the obvious answer would be indigenous people,

but how do we tell who is indigenous, and should the preservation and practice of this knowledge only be

exclusive to them or to people who are genuinely curious and passionate about the knowledge? It is these

unanswered questions that make that commercialization of shamanism so complex and brings it from the

simple matter of exploitation to human rights and the preservation of culture. While it would seem evident

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