American Indian Culture and Research Journal

INTRODUCTION The Pueblo Indians of the American Southwest have developed creative and assertive techniques for interacting with tourists. Embedded in specific historic and cultural circumstances, these techniques help the Pueblo Indians survive the pressures of tourist contact, fortify their cultural boundaries, and exercise a degree of power over individuals who are, in most other situations, defined as the more powerful. In this paper I examine two of the techniques that are central to Pueblo tourist management and Pueblo cultural maintenance. Although there is considerable literature examining host/guest dynamics in situations of tourist contact, only recently have researchers regarded indigenous hosts as powerful players in the process. An intriguing analysis of host/guest dynamics offered by Evans-Pritchard treats the indigenous hosts as "subjects" initiating action, rather than merely "objects" acted upon and ultimately doomed by tourism. Although the issue of host control in these interactions is not her focus, Evans-Pritchard does examine Native American/ tourist encounters and notes that, "armed with stereotypes of tourists, and aware of touristic stereotypes of Indians, Indians can exercise more control over frequently uncomfortable situation." She also observes that many Native Americans have much more experience dealing with tourists than tourists have dealing with Native Americans; this gives the latter an advantage in host/guest interactions.