American Indian Culture and Research Journal

When every effort was made to wipe out our culture and religion, we made adjustments to insure that there was an outward showing of compliance. Wemanaged to keep our religion and culture going (underground, as it were) so we were able to survive the Spaniards. So too are we able to survive the tourists and culture they represent. -Taos Pueblo member INTRODUCTION American Indian nations have experienced various forms of internal colonialism and forced assimilation since the arrival of the Europeans. Although tourism is not necessarily perceived as a means of forced assimilation, it has assimilative effects and has been studied in terms of its acculturative impact on the host society. American Indian nations/tribes across the country are beginning to recognize the tremendous economic benefits of tourism and are in the process of developing this area further. Within the social sciences, there is a growing body of literature on American Indian tourism. However, the research does little to reflect the social and economic impact of tourism from the perspective of the American Indian.