‘Money Is a Universal Need’: Exploring Indigenous Peoples’ Engagement With Externally-led Development in the Peruvian Amazon

This chapter contributes to debates about how post-development theory defines an Indigenous ‘good life’ (‘buen vivir’) and discusses Indigenous communities’ engagement with external development support. It focuses on the experiences of one Indigenous community in the Peruvian Amazon, the Awajún people, who are involved in entrepreneurship for development projects supported by external parties. The chapter finds a sharp contrast between the idealised conceptualisation of Indigenous lifestyles and aspirations for a ‘good life’ found in the academic literature and the complex reality we encountered on the ground. Further, the research explores the intricate dynamics between development interventions and community members’ responses. Finally, we propose a new understanding of Indigenous ‘good life’ which acknowledges the diversity of reactions to external support both between and within groups, avoiding predefined ideas regarding communities’ lifestyles and aspirations that reflect externally imposed values and choices.