Open AccessAuthenticity and the Native Cultural Experience at Tillicum Village
Author(s) -
Parrish Sabine
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
student anthropologist
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2330-7625
DOI - 10.1002/j.sda2.20140401.0004
Subject(s) - commodification , promotion (chess) , aesthetics , sociology , political science , art , economy , law , economics , politics
Tillicum Village, a Seattle‐area dinner theatre attraction, purports to present an authentic version of Native tradition for visitors. I argue that the cultural elements presented at Tillicum Village represent only a superficial authenticity, one that mixes from several cultures yet claims to be a cohesive whole. Tillicum Village's claims to authenticity are undermined by the commodification of the self experienced by its theater performers, as well as the site's deliberately heterotopic construction. The discrepancies between the promotion and the reality of Tillicum Village reflect the recent conversion to a corporate enterprise, and ultimately undermine the site's educational potential.