Indigenous entrepreneurship: an emerging field of research

Abstract

Indigenous entrepreneurship is among the youngest fields of academic research, revealing that some cultural values are incompatible with the basic assumptions of mainstream theories of entrepreneurship. Social organisation among indigenous peoples is often based on kinship ties, not necessarily created in response to market needs. In contrast to Western-style capitalism, some indigenous economies display elements of egalitarianism, sharing and communal activity. Indigenous entrepreneurship often relies on immediately available resources, and consequently, work in indigenous communities may be less regular than is the case among mainstream societies. Much entrepreneurial activity among indigenous people involves internal economic activity with no transaction, while transactions often take place in the bazaar and in the informal sector, where enterprises often have limited inventory.