ABSTRACT This article explores the self-representation practices of the leaders of the Sapara Nationality of Ecuador in response to UNESCO’s cultural policies and the recognition of their oral traditions and cultural manifestations as Masterpieces of the Intangible Heritage of Humanity (2001). Through critical discourse analysis, the author elucidates how Sapara leaders’ identity narratives engage with UNESCO’s discourses on endangered languages. The analysis revolves around three linguistic ideologies strongly present in UNESCO’s discourses: the metonymic relation between language and territory, the co-occurrence between biological and cultural diversity and the objectification of language as a universal possession. The author argues that supranational institutions like UNESCO are influential in defining notions of indigenous ‘authenticity,’ to which Sapara leaders adapt, negotiate and resist.