Identity fluidity and refusal of indigeneity by Wuankavilkas, the place-based original people of the Ecuadorian coast

In a globalized world, Indigenous communities confront the construction of fixed ‘Indigenous’ identities through hegemonic top-down frameworks. This article deconstructs these narratives by focusing on the Wuankavilkas, a place-based original people of coastal Ecuador, who refuse fixed identity categories imposed by the Ecuadorian nation-state. Using land-based methodologies and longitudinal cultural theme analysis from the 1500s to 2020s, we reveal the fluidity of their collective identity shaped by situational contexts. Identity fluidity, shifting in response to situational factors, is a universal sociocultural process. Refusal of state and global ‘Indigeneity’ identities generates alternative strategies for the survivance of original peoples of the world.