Brave Spirits on New Paths: Toward a Globally Relevant Paradigm of Indigenous Entrepreneurship Research

Abstract

A global definition of indigenousentrepreneurship and its boundaries has not been established, although manyindigenous cultures across the world are currently incorporatingentrepreneurship into their society. In this study, indigenous entrepreneurshipis defined as “the creation, management and development of new ventures byIndigenous people for the benefit of Indigenous people.” Interviews were conducted with 40 indigenous leaders, representingIndigenous Australians and U.S. American Indians.These experts are seenas people who have knowledge of both entrepreneurial culture and the issues andgovernment regulations affecting indigenous people. Cognitive mapping andcross-tabulation of coded data were implemented to discover results. It was found that most interviewees believed an entrepreneurial futurestemmed from indigenous roots only if the tradition has been understood wellenough for its traits to be used innovatively. It is deduced that the elementsof the paradigm are: (1) the heritage positioning index, (2) theautonomy-accountability network, and (3) the twin skills inventory. It is alsodiscovered that indigenous entrepreneurs can preserve their culture whilepursuing their businesses by implementing their culture in ventures.(SRY)

Keywords: Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM), Indigenous Australians, Indigenous groups, Cultural identity, Native Americans