Indigenous Governance
Database
economic diversification
Rebuilding Our Nations: Tips and Tools for Getting Started
LEARN ABOUT THE INHERENT RIGHT TO SELF GOVERNANCE. First Nations citizens and all Canadians should learn about our shared history. There is an important booklet on our website called A Brief History of our Right to Self Governance. It demonstrates how we possess the inherent right to rebuild our…
Ho-Chunk, Inc. has grown into global enterprise
The Winnebago Tribe's reservation in Northeast Nebraska is home to about 2,800 enrolled members. The tribe, a federally recognized, sovereign nation, is governed by a council of nine-elected tribal members. The tribe owns a number of enterprises, including gaming operations in Iowa and Nebraska,…
Gardens Flourish on Pine Ridge
John Yellow Hawk’s garden is one of many new feeders of Pine Ridge Indian Reservation’s developing economy. This past year, Yellow Hawk and 20 other Oglala gardeners each received a $1,000 loan and a $2,000 grant from Citigroup via Lakota Funds, a 26-year-old Native community development financial…
A Place Called Poarch PCI: all about diversifying
The Poarch Band of Creek Indians didn’t coin the phrase “economic development,” but they are certainly taking it to new heights. With revenue from successful gaming venues in the state and the drive to diversify their economic interests, the Poarch Band of Creek Indians is working on several…
Hatching Success: Ak-Chin Indian Community's Industrial Park Home to Only Egg Producer in Arizona
Finally, an answer to that age-old question: “Why did the chicken cross the road?” To get to the Ak-Chin Indian Community’s Industrial Park–the site of Hickman’s Family Farms with enough hens to generate 4.3 million eggs per day. In 2002, the egg producer built a ranch at the Ak-Chin Industrial…
Oklahoma City University Study Reveals Substantial Economic Impact of the Chickasaw Nation on Oklahoma's Economy
The contribution and impact of the Chickasaw Nation on the economy of Oklahoma exceeds $2.4 billion dollars according to an economic impact analysis released today by the Steven C. Agee Economic Research & Policy Institute at Oklahoma City University. The report, "Estimating the Oklahoma…
Business loans aim to boost Native American entrepreneurship
Even though the city of Bemidji is surrounded by three Indian reservations, there have been few Native American-owned businesses in town. Now, a Red Lake tribal member has opened a new restaurant. It's believed to be the first American Indian-owned restaurant in the city. Owner Marv Hanson tapped…
The Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development and its Application to Canadian Aboriginal Business
This lecture is part of a course Stephen Cornell is teaching in Simon Fraser University's Executive MBA in Aboriginal Business and Leadership program. A panel of three joined Dr. Cornell in a discussion about the building of First Nation economies and the role citizen entrepreneurship can play in…
Cherokee Nation's Kawi Café offers small business training
The Cherokee Nation’s Kawi Café is now serving up its signature Cherokee blend coffee in downtown Tahlequah, while giving budding entrepreneurs firsthand experience running their own business. A ribbon-cutting was held Thursday at the café, which the Cherokee Nation opened last month in a 1,096-…
Rebuilding The Tigua Nation
The Tigua Indians of Ysleta del Sur Pueblo in Ysleta, Texas produced this 16-minute film in 2013 to demonstrate how a Native American tribe can work hard with business skills and tribal customs to shape a prosperous future through education for all levels of the Tigua Nation.
Four Bands Community Fund
As a nonprofit organization and a Native community development financial institution (CDFI) certified by the U.S. Treasury, Four Bands Community Fund continuously strives to achieve its mission of creating economic opportunity by helping people build strong and sustainable small businesses and…
Membertou: Accountable to the Community
Leaders of Membertou First nation explain how a high level of accountability to citizens and partners has been key to its success in both governance and business.
Ramona Band of Cahuilla
Chairman Manuel Hamilton discusses his tribe's endeavors to become self-sustaining.
Indian Pride (Episode 108): Economic Development
This episode of the "Indian Pride" television series, aired in 2007, explores the economic development efforts of selected Native nations cross Indian Country. It also features an interview with Lance Morgan, CEO of the Winnebago Trib'es Ho-Chunk, Inc., who provides an overview of the evolution of…
Building a More Sustainable Future on Cheyenne River
This brief video showcases five of Four Bands Community Fund's loan clients who have used their loan proceeds to advance green and social entrepreneur concepts on the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation.
The Best Practices in Rural Alberta Project
The Best Practices in Rural Alberta Project culminated in September 2012, after two and a half years of community engagement; research into the examination of leadership strengths and practices; incredible youth development; and video capture in preparation for a documentary film. This documentary…
Smoke Traders
Told from a Native perspective, "Smoke Traders" looks at the controversy ignited by the Mohawk Nation's involvement in the tobacco trade, raising issues of sovereignty, economic independence and entrepreneurship versus what some see as illegal contraband activity. The multi-million dollar cigarette…
The Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians
This video, produced by the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, provides a brief overview of the nation's history, from its push to achieve federal recognition to its efforts to create a diversified, sustainable economy.
PBS "We Shall Remain": Enterprise in Indian Country
Indian Country is experiencing an economic resurgence despite decades of dependence on the federal government. Though the per capita income of Native Americans living on reservations is still less than half the national average, tribes across the country are building economies with a diverse range…
Melvin L. Sheldon: Refining Our United Vision
Melvin L. Sheldon, Chairman of the Tulalip Tribes, provides an overview of Tulalip's building of a sustainable, diversified economy, and discusses some of the important steps Tulalip took to create a commercial environment capable of supporting business success.