Creating Community: Land Titling, Education, and Settlement Formation Among the Ashéninka of Peruvian Amazonia

This article analyzes the process and effects of land titling in Asheninka communities in eastern central Peru. Through this analysis the article considers the relationship between nation states and indigenous groups and shows how this relationship can occur in multiple ways, differing not only between distinct indigenous groups but also within a single ethnic grouping. The article compares accounts of Asheninka communities that have had to fight for their rights to land with the experiences of communities that have sought official recognition as part of an established legal process. In these latter communities the article argues that it is the Asheninka's desire for schooling that underpins their wish to gain official recognition. The article also considers the effects that living in defined settlements is having and concludes that communal identities and action can be a result of the recognition of land rights rather than an impetus for land rights claims.