Myths and destination identity: A case of Newars from Patan, Nepal

Abstract

Indigenous peoples have unique worldviews and practices that reflect their historical experiences with nature and their social surroundings. These experiences are constructed and orally transmitted through myths and folklore. This chapter explores how the symbolism and language performativity inherent in Indigenous cultural imagination help construct, through a sustained choreography of their myths, an Indigenous destination image and identity. By using Lévi-Strauss’s Mythopoeic imagination and Austin’s concept of language performativity as scaffolding, this chapter draws insights from various myths of Nepal’s Indigenous Newars to discuss the magical and authentic choreographies and experiences these myths create for tourists and the image and identity they create for the place as a tourist destination.