Renewing Indigenous Economies

Overview

The history of Indigenous economies in the Americas presents a puzzle: When Europeans first encountered Indigenous peoples, they discovered societies with high standards of living, vast trading networks, and flourishing markets. But colonizers changed the rules of the game, and by the twentieth century, most Indians had been forced onto reservations and saddled with institutions inimical to their customs and cultures, and incompatible with wealth creation. 

As a result of being wrapped in the federal government's "white tape," these once thriving societies are today impoverished and dependent. This volume charts a course for reversing the decline in Indigenous economies and establishing a path to prosperity based on secure tribal property rights, clear jurisdiction and governance, and fiscal and financial power. It explains how the rules of the game promote or hinder the development of wealth; gives an overview of institutional conditions in Indian Country today; and identifies improvements with significant potential to renew Indian economies. Both data and contemporary stories of success and failure illustrate how revitalizing institutional frameworks can restart the engine of economic growth to generate business and employment, raise living standards in Indian communities, and, most importantly, restore the dignity Native Americans once had and still deserve.

Reviews

"This book highlights innovative, tribally developed solutions, demonstrating that the path to reinvigorating tribal markets and economies runs through tribal self-governance." —Kevin Washburn, former assistant secretary of Indian affairs, US Department of the Interior

"Full of practical examples that tribes have developed and advanced to support more sustainable economies and communities, [this book] should be part of the applied economic curriculum in every tribal college." —Manny Jules, former chief of the Kamloops Band of Canadian First Nations and chief commissioner of the First Nations Tax Commission

"This important study is a must-read for tribal governments and citizens alike who are looking to establish economic sovereignty and entrepreneurial self-sufficiency." —David Sickey, Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana chairman and council member, 2003–21, and founder and CEO of Sickey Global Strategies

Author Biography