To be shipibo nowadays: The shipibo-konibo youth organizations as a strategy for dealing with cultural change in the peruvian amazon region

As are other indigenous societies, Shipibo people are concerned about their future. Shipibo-Konibo elders believe that young people are more interested in migrating to the city and engaging in new activities, thus forgetting their own roots and traditions. However, not all Shipibo youngsters act or feel in the same way. There are many different ways of being Shipibo and of expressing Shipibo identity. This article discusses how Shipibo moral and cultural values influence the way in which Shipibo youth respond to their new historical context. During the last 40 years cohorts of young people have organized themselves as a strategy for dealing with the new social and cultural challenges brought about by urban life and formal education.