Topics to be Covered
As these presentations show, Native American entrepreneurs have made great strides in establishing thriving businesses that stay true to Native American practices, cultures, and values. The first lecture, entitled the “Nahi Thesis Presentation,” sets out plans for a large-scale Native American firm that manufactures textile products designed by Native American artists. The next video introduces a class taught at Brigham Young University to young aspiring entrepreneurs from Native American communities. In one of the key exercises in this class, students market, sell and purchase originally valueless objects from each other until they command higher prices so they can understand the basic logic of business transactions. This video is entitled “Social Entrepreneurship Class for Native Americans.” In the following presentation the speaker talks about his own Native American restaurant. In the video “Tacobe: An American Indian Eatery,” the audience hears about the principles guiding the Tacobe restaurant in Denver. This restaurant is a profitable venture that introduces customers to authentic Native American cuisine. It also advances Native American causes and brings together members of Native American communities. The next talk covers the highly successful and widely recognized online boutique/blog named Beyond Buckskin, founded by Jessica Metcalfe, a member of the Chipewa tribe. In this presentation, entitled “More than Just a Trend: Beyond Buckskin and Native American Fashion,” the speaker discusses her goals and experiences running her company. Beyond Buckskin has flourished because it has tapped into the demand from customers all over the world for authentic Native American products and it has capitalized on the power of the internet to connect sellers and buyers. Beyond Buckskin does more than simply sell Native American clothing. It also actively supports the artists by helping them secure the resources they need to produce their products, whether that means loaning them money to buy raw materials or helping them find workspaces. The success of Beyond Buckskin shows that, even when it is difficult for Native American communities to protect their cultural practices from theft and misappropriation by non-Native companies and individuals, it is still possible to create a commercially viable business that stays true to Native American culture and values.
Learning Outcomes
The concrete examples of successful Native American enterprises and businesses in this module will help students to appreciate how Native American traditions can inspire profitable businesses. They will also enable students to see how Native American business owners can reach non-Native markets for their products.
