False Myths and Indigenous Entrepreneurial Strategies

Several critical assumptions about the entrepreneurialbehavior and strategies of Native American populations are challenged. Theseassumptions include the following: native populations are at odds withEuro-American modes of economic development; native populations are morecollective in their social activities; native people have a different sense ofprivate property ownership; the native population's propensity for economicdevelopment is subordinated to a more "harmonious" relation withnature. The authors challenge such historical distortions, arguing that they areinconsistent with economic theory, and proposing a historical context readingof the indigenous economic and entrepreneurial behavior. The myths the authorschallenge are: (1) indigenous populations historically had either a differentor more communal sense of property ownership; (2) indigenous populationshistorically had a more collective attitude toward economic issues; and (3)indigenous people historically practiced a philosophy of environmentalprotection and were less concerned about productive, innovative entrepreneurialactivity. The sources of these misconceptions are analyzed and critiqued. The authorsalso consider the reservation and land tenure system in native communities, aswell as their implications for indigenous entrepreneurship. The examination ofall these factors leads to the conclusion that, despite a forced collectiveland tenure system, several factors emerging in the last two decades havepotential for the development of indigenous economic development andentrepreneurship: (1) government-sanctioned monopolies, such as casino gaming;(2) the environmental economies, especially game hunting and fishing onreservations; and (3) the sale of natural resources, such as minerals, timber,and oil. Strategies for maximizing value creation in tribal regions areproposed. (CBS)