25 Characteristics of Thriving Tribal Economies

During 2006 and 2007, I was engaged in fieldwork to help create a curriculum on tribal economic development and entrepreneurship. The fieldwork, (my favorite part of being and anthropologist) was designed using an Appreciative Inquiry approach that focused on what tribes were doing "right" with regard to economic development rather than the deficiency model. There were five tribes involved in the study; the Wind River reservation in Wyoming, the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians of North Dakota, the Winnebago of Nebraska, the Rosebud Sioux of South Dakota and the Flathead of Montana.

Once the fieldwork was completed, we sat down and wrote case studies for each reservation, again focusing on the positive aspects of economic development. After these case studies were created, a companion curriculum was written. This core curriculum was then pilot-tested with a group of tribal planners. The post workshop remarks were very positive. After this training, we once again looked at the data and created what we call "25 Characteristics of Thriving Tribal Economies" as a checklist and workbook. The entire curriculum was then utilized at a training in Montana, once again, with very positive remarks. What follows, are those characteristics. I would like to thank everyone who participated in this program and look forward to taking this training to other communities.

25 Characteristics of Thriving Tribal Economies

1. Balance between traditional wisdom and new approaches.
2. Proactive council that works in tandem with economic development
professionals.
3. Separation of politics and business.
4. Continuity in tribal government.
5. Commitment to economic self sufficiency.
6. Multiple revenue streams created through diversified economic strategies.
7. Keen awareness of internal assets combined with smart use of external resources.
8. Tribal commitment to supporting entrepreneurial efforts and encouraging entrepreneurial spirit.
9. Evidence of an investment culture.
10. Adoption and/or creation of a uniform commercial code.
11. In-place structure guaranteeing an autonomous judiciary.
12. Positioned to take advantage of incentive programs such as 8A, 638.
13. Use of failures and successes to build collective knowledge about managing enterprises.
14. Evidence of a strategic focus in both economic and community development.
15. Willingness to collaborate within the tribe and with other entities.
16. Proactive stance with respect to both internal and external opportunities.
17. Emphasis on the value of spending dollars locally.
18. Recognition of the importance of sovereignty.
19. Recognition of the importance of cultural relevance.
20. Attention to multiple capitals that include social and cultural networks, human capital, financial capital and infrastructure.
21. Strategy to develop tribal financial institutions and/or build successful partnerships with external financial institutions.
22. Importance of having “champions” for community and economic development.
23. Evidence that the tribe is discarding “the BIA mentality.”
24. Support for child care, K-16 and lifelong education.
25. Importance of strong, locally-based institutions (health and wellness, social services, education, etc.).