ABSTRACT
Tourism is an integral part of the economy of heritage sites and museums around the world, and the potential benefit it offers influenced the conceptualisation of the Kelabit Highlands Community Museum. However, the representation of indigenous people in the Malaysian tourism system has tended towards the commodification of culture which has had little connection with realities. This creates a challenge between balancing the Kelabit Community Highlands Museum Project Development as an economic endeavour with that of maintaining agency and authenticity in a meaningful representation of Kelabit values. This chapter examines these issues through a discussion of the Sarawak Cultural Village, which was a reference point for the project, but which is also a site where authenticity is contested.
