Authenticity and the Native Cultural Experience at Tillicum Village

Abstract

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.