External Inducement and Non-Westernization in the Uses of the ◊ Asheninka Cushma

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Abstract
The cushma is a cotton tunic worn by the Pajonal Ashéninka and other montaña Indians in the Peruvian Amazon. The cushma constitutes an impor tant article of dress and cultural identity. Its continued use points to the per sistence of shared Ashéninka values and practices in the face of prolonged colonization efforts in the area. An influx of industrial goods into the Ashéninka trading system has boosted the circulation of traditional exchange items. Recent political organizing has further strengthened Ashéninka iden tity. Ashéninka leaders who have started to wear Western-style clothes now don the cushma to display Ashéninka-ness to influential outsiders. No longer may we assume that its use merely testifies to the cultural purity of its wearer. Its use may also be an indication of his or her sophisticated acknowledgment that the timely display of indigenous identity may well be rewarded. This adds a new layer of meaning to the Ashéninka cushma.

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