Abstract
This paper explores the ways in which Indigenous people around the world are participating in the World Wide Web, through establishing their own websites or accessing services via the Web. Indigenous websites are remarkably diverse: in addition to those representing Indigenous organizations and promoting Indigenous e-commerce, many websites have also been established to further unique concerns of Indigenous communities such as the maintenance and revitalization of Indigenous cultures, intercultural dialogue between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people, political advocacy and mobilization, community rebuilding and social support for disadvantaged communities. Despite the early involvement of Indigenous people on the Web, there still remain many unresolved issues, which include low levels of computer literacy and Internet connectivity, the cost of the technology, low levels of business understanding to support e-commerce, and concerns over the misappropriation of Indigenous knowledge and culture.
Highlights
The aim of this paper is to explore the many ways in which Indigenous people are engaging with the World Wide Web
Issues raised by a number of researchers include low access to technology, insufficient business understanding, and concerns by many Indigenous people over the misappropriation of traditional knowledge if it is placed on the Web [1; 29]
Exacerbating factors are the remoteness of many Indigenous communities, which are often located in regions where connectivity is difficult; poverty, which reduces computer and Internet access even when Indigenous people live in cities; the lack of computer programs in Indigenous languages; and low levels of literacy, in English, the main computer language [31]
Summary
There are an estimated 350 million Indigenous people living in over 70 countries round the world, comprising 4% of humanity [33]. Issues raised by a number of researchers include low access to technology, insufficient business understanding, and concerns by many Indigenous people over the misappropriation of traditional knowledge if it is placed on the Web [1; 29]. Issues such as these need to be fully addressed if Indigenous participation in the Web is to grow and flourish. Examples are chosen to illustrate the variety of purposes for which websites have been established by and for Indigenous people, as well as to examine some of the issues surrounding Indigenous participation on the Web which still remain unresolved
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