THE TOURISM ETHNIC SPACE AND ITS SYMBOLIC INTERFACES

Abstract

This article discusses the touristic ethnic space in an indigenous community located in the metropolitan region of Manaus. The study is based on the ethnic perspective, as a historical construction of the identity of a specific group of people, a social group that has a different way of life from the urban world. The research purpose was to analyze the absolute, relative and relational space of a touristic indigenous community, pointing out the territorialities that were built from the touristic activity. The methodology was based on an exploratory study, and the geographic constituency was the Sahu-Apé community, in which it was possible to identify not only the functional dimension, but also its symbolic dimension within the space formed by a set of unique symbols of the ethnic group, compared to other groups. For Haesbaert (2004), these mastery constitute the identity and establish the ways in which relationships are built in indigenous societies based on their ancestors. As main results, it was found that the identity of the Sateré people is configured in its most important object in the tourist activity, and the physical and symbolic space is the tourist product that has been built over time.