Relating Practice to Theory in Indigenous Entrepreneurship: A Pilot Investigation of the Kitsaki Partnership Portfolio

Abstract

Indigenous peoples are increasingly developing enterprises in the form of partnerships to participate in the global economy. The pilot study investigates the Kitsaki initiative at the Lac La Ronge Indian Band, near the city of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, Canada. To improve the socioeconomic circumstances of the people, the LRIB formed the Kitsaki Development Corporation, whose activities and outcomes from 1981 to 2001 are investigated. Data are used from the 1986 and 2001 censuses of Canada to assess the employment impact of business activities in this area. The study uses the paradigm of Indigenous entrepreneurship developed by Hindle and Lansdowne (2002). The findings show a few success factors impacting the Kitsaki enterprises: the dual leadership of the venture, venture durability, and the generation change impact on venture durability. Several links are offered to the developing theory of Indigenous entrepreneurship, underlying the elements that distinguish Indigenous entrepreneurship from mainstream entrepreneurship: (1) the heritage positioning index; (2) the autonomy-accountability network; and (3) the twin skills inventory. Recommendations are made that future studies consider and understand the conditions under which successful Indigenous entrepreneurship operates. Methodological recommendations are made for various stages of the pilot project as well as a more structured program of future research. (CBS)

Keywords: Canadian Census, Employment, Accountability, Autonomy, Cultural identity, Economic development, Firm survival, Income mobility, Indigenous groups, Interfirm alliances, Leadership, Minorities, Socioeconomic background, Startups, Succession