Aboriginal Community Development Research Articles

Influence Analysis of Sustainability Perceptions on Sense of Community and Support for Sustainable Community Development in Relocated Communities.

This study aims to examine a theoretical model using sustainability perceptions, including environmental; sociocultural; economic; and life satisfaction, sense of community, and support for sustainable community development among the indigenous people of two relocated communities in Taiwan. A total of 747 usable questionnaires were collected and analyzed using structural equation modeling. The analytical results indicated that sense of community is an antecedent of support for sustainable community development in both relocated communities. Life satisfaction perceptions can influence the sense of community in Rinari. Additionally, environmental and economic perceptions are antecedents of the sense of community in New Laiyi. Finally, this study provides theoretical implications to fill the gaps in previous research, and offers valuable insights for promoting residents’ support for sustainable community development in aboriginal communities; thus, this study has significant contributions, theoretically and practically.

Complexities in developing Australian Aboriginal enterprises based on natural resources

Across the world’s rangelands, livelihoods of millions of people are dependent on customary and commercial use of wildlife. Many Australian Aboriginal communities also aspire towards developing natural resource-based enterprises but there is a unique combination of historical, legislative and cultural factors that make this process complex. Typically, government support for Indigenous enterprise development has focussed largely on development of ‘social enterprise’, with subsidies coming from various government community development programs. This has resulted in some increase in participation and employment, but often inadequate attention to economic aspects of enterprise development leading to low levels of business success. This paper will examine historical, legislative and institutional dimensions in business development in Aboriginal communities. It does this through a case study of business enterprise development of the Kakadu Plum products by the Indigenous people of the Thamarrurr Region of the Northern Territory, Australia, using a participant observation research method. We found that attention on important economic criteria was subsumed by a focus on social enterprise priorities during the development of this natural resource-based enterprise. This resulted in a very slow transition of the ‘social enterprise’ to the ‘financial enterprise’, due largely to fragmented business decisions and inefficient value chains. We call for a refocus of natural resource-based enterprise development programs in remote Australian Aboriginal townships to incorporate greater emphasis on business acumen within the complex social, cultural and political fabric.

“Moving from transactional government to enablement” in Indigenous service delivery: The era of New Public Management, service innovation and urban Aboriginal community development

AbstractOver the last 40 years, Aboriginal Community Based Organisations have played a distinctive role in society in relation to urban Aboriginal peoples and their rights to self‐determination and community development in the Australian city of Newcastle. They have proven essential to advocacy, the maintenance of community development, and the creation of new Aboriginal social infrastructure (community organisations, facilities, services, and supporting infrastructure). Autonomy has been empowering for local Aboriginal people. Major reforms to the delivery of government social services, particularly government enablement of a new social service market based on New Public Management principles, threaten this success. This interpretive, qualitative case study illustrates the effects of social service market enablement. It draws on a case study of the effects of social service market enablement on urban Aboriginal Community Based Organisations in Newcastle, showing the antagonistic relationship between social service market enablement and Aboriginal community enablement and development. It ends with a discussion of how Aboriginal community development in this city could be re‐enabled in light of the Prime Minister's arguments in his 2017 Annual Parliamentary Closing the Gap speech providing particular value in the context of policy discussions about moving from transactional government to enablement in Indigenous affairs.

Understanding the Environment: Domestic Violence and Prevention in Urban Aboriginal Communities

Aboriginal women in Canada are at significantly higher risk for spousal violence and spousal homicide than non-Aboriginal women. Although the majority of Aboriginal people in Canada live in urban settings, there is a dearth of literature focusing on the experiences and violence prevention efforts of urban Aboriginal peoples. In order to understand issues relevant to the prevention of domestic violence among this population, we employed Aboriginal community development principles to conduct a scoping review of the relevant literature to explore the meanings and definitions, risk and protective factors, and prevention/intervention strategies within urban Aboriginal communities. Our study underscores that a number of domestic violence risk and protective factors are present in both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal communities. However, the multifaceted impacts of colonization, including residential school trauma is a key factor in understanding domestic violence in urban Aboriginal contexts. The limited available research on this topic highlights the need for Aboriginal-led research directed towards eliminating the legacy of violence for Aboriginal peoples in Canada.

Odeminiwin: Understanding and Supporting Childhood Stimulation in an Algonquin Community

Legacies of colonialism have been associated with risk factors for delayed childhood development in Aboriginal communities in Canada. In the Algonquin community of Rapid Lake (Québec, Canada), the maternal-child nurse carries out regular screening for developmental delay in children (0-66 months) using the Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ). The aim of this project was to explore parenting practices and cultural traditions regarding childhood stimulation in this community as well as primary caregivers’ perceptions of the use of the ASQ. Using a Community Based Participatory Research framework, we conducted a focused ethnography over four months, which included 28 participants. Outcomes of our research included the development of a stimulation activity for families involving all generations in the community, incorporating traditional parenting practices and language, and promoting a safe learning environment. Results can be used to support efforts towards community-driven childhood development services in other Aboriginal communities.

Understanding the Environment: Domestic Violence and Prevention in Urban Aboriginal Communities

Aboriginal women in Canada are at significantly higher risk for spousal violence and spousal homicide than non-Aboriginal women. Although the majority of Aboriginal people in Canada live in urban settings, there is a dearth of literature focusing on the experiences and violence prevention efforts of urban Aboriginal peoples. In order to understand issues relevant to the prevention of domestic violence among this population, we employed Aboriginal community development principles to conduct a scoping review of the relevant literature to explore the meanings and definitions, risk and protective factors, and prevention/intervention strategies within urban Aboriginal communities. Our study underscores that a number of domestic violence risk and protective factors are present in both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal communities. However, the multifaceted impacts of colonization, including residential school trauma is a key factor in understanding domestic violence in urban Aboriginal contexts. The limited available research on this topic highlights the need for Aboriginal-led research directed towards eliminating the legacy of violence for Aboriginal peoples in Canada.

Community-based Enterprise as a Strategy for Development in Aboriginal Communities: Learning from Essipit’s Forest Enterprises

There is growing evidence of the socioeconomic importance of Aboriginal forest enterprises. Aboriginal groups that decide to opt-in to the market economy still face significant challenges. One critical challenge is the matter of harmonizing community members' needs with market requirements. Drawing on a case study in the Essipit Innu First Nation in Canada, this paper examines the successes attained by an Aboriginal community-based enterprise (ACBE) strategy in enhancing sustainable local development. Our results indicate that the community had access to, and expanded, human, natural, social and financial capital. Findings also show that Essipit defines success not only in economic terms, but also through a wider array of goals. This research shows a path towards Aboriginal economic success. It emphasizes the importance of developing a model that is integrated into the community and the local culture.

Developing Communities In Northern Saskatchewan: Women and Youth in Aboriginal Community Development

Scholars interested in Aboriginal community development have paid little attention to the important roles and contributions of women and young people. An extensive quantitative survey - the first such survey undertaken - provides valuable insights into the views and activities of Northern Saskatchewan Aboriginal residents. By assessing the extent of community participation and the support of residents for community engagement, this study demonstrates a deep and broad commitment to working at the community level. The study also shows stark differences between onand off-reserve populations: on-reserve members have a very homogenous pattern of community engagement, while off-reserve Aboriginal people demonstrate significant differences by age and gender. These findings have important implications for the understanding and implementation of Aboriginal community development.

Exploring the relationship between aboriginal tourism and community development

Aboriginal communities are increasingly turning toward aboriginal tourism development to diversify their economic base, validate their claims related to proprietary rights over traditional lands and re-connect youth with elders and the community to their land and their culture. Oftentimes, these development initiatives are tied to broader community development goals, yet the success of the tourism project is generally measured by its market readiness, revenue generation and job creation. The purpose of this article is to provide insight into the breadth of aboriginal community development benefits from tourism development through a review of literature of selected international case studies on aboriginal tourism development. Framing our approach is Bell's typology of aboriginal community development that is conceptualized as consisting of five dimensions that include community empowerment, community wellness, community economic development, community learning and community stewardship [Bell, M. (1999). The changing face of community development in the north: From the power paradigm to the spirit paradigm. Yellowknife, NWT: Inukshuk Management Consultants]. The analysis provided insight into how aboriginal tourism initiatives benefit broader community development dimensions beyond the economic and that to develop tourism that extends its benefits to the community, issues that relate to community empowerment, wellness and healing and stewardship should be addressed.

The Earth Keepers Solid Waste Management Planning Program: A Collaborative Approach to Utilizing Aboriginal Traditional Knowledge and Western Science in Ontario

Both the 1987 “Brundtland Report”, and Chapter 26 of Agenda 21 (which emerged from the 1992 “Earth Summit”), formally recognized the role of Indigenous people in global sustainable development. Agenda 21 requires that Aboriginal values, traditional knowledge, and resource management practices are recognized and meaningfully involved in sustainable development undertakings; and that capacity-building in Aboriginal communities, based on the adaptation and exchange of traditional knowledge, is developed so as to increase the ability of Aboriginal peoples to participate in sustainable development. This paper documents the principles behind and development of a practical program aimed at meeting these two criteria head on. Funded by the Canadian government and developed by an Aboriginal corporation with western scientific expertise, the “Earth Keepers” program represents a significant move towards establishing a truly collaborative program with benefits for Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal constituents alike. While participants in the program recognize areas for improvement, key among the program’s successful strategies to date has been the meaningful inclusion of Aboriginal community partners from the outset. The program’s built-in feedback system allows it to adapt to better meet the needs of participants over time. Continued scrutiny of this program as it evolves is warranted as it represents a significant departure from outmoded “colonial” approaches to research and development in Aboriginal communities, and an innovative step towards an improved environmental future for all participants.

Training Opportunities In Aboriginal Business, Community And Economic Development: Being Offered Through Aboriginal Organizations

The purpose of this article is to present alternative developmental opportunities for those concerned about economic development in Aboriginal communities. It provides information about the development and availability of modules and courses available from NACCA, CANDO and AFOA.

Social capital meets identity

This article reports on a qualitative study of social capital within an urban Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander context. Using data generated from 100 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander participants in focus group discussions and in-depth interviews collected by Aboriginal community development workers, this article describes two worlds of social capital available to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. The primary source of bonding social capital comes from family and wider Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community connections. In the context of an oppressive history and experiences of ongoing racism and discrimination, a second world of bridging social capital remains elusive to many Indigenous Australians. Our findings suggest that to understand the tensions between the two social capitals requires an engagement with the complexities of identity. We argue that it is vital to explore the texture of social capital, rather than just measure its volume.

Accounting Content and Education in an Indigenous Context

Sustainable economic development in aboriginal communities requires a fit between the financial management system and indigenous values.

Agricultural and resource economics and economic development in Aboriginal communities

Economic development is seen as the best way for Aboriginal communities to improve their welfare and lessen the considerable disadvantages they suffer. Unfortunately, the economics profession has shown little interest in their plight. Agricultural and resource economists have much to offer in helping to foster economic development in Aboriginal communities throughout Australia. Suggestions are made as to various ways in which our particular interests and experiences can hopefully be applied.

Successful Development in Aboriginal Communities : Does it Depend upon a Particular Process?

This article brings needed attention to the process of structural change in Aboriginal communities, which has been largely neglected in current policy and practice on economic development and good governance. New research strongly suggests that generalized trust (social capital), and a capacity to discuss rather than suppress conflict (social cohesion), are crucial to long-term success in economic development and self-government. Likewise, trust and effective conflict resolution are built or undermined by the process by which structural changes (e.g., economic, governmental) are made and implemented. Processes most likely to support long term success of structural changes in Aboriginal communities: (1) are grounded in a commitment to mutually acceptable cultural values, (2) develop working relationships across subgroups before making substantive decisions, and 3) actively include the participation and concerns of interest groups across the community. Success in partnering with Aboriginal communities for economic and political development is most likely when a balance of attention is paid to the process as well as the structure of change, and to the identity needs, as well as the practical needs, of the community.

Globalization and Self-Government: Impacts and Implications for First Nations in Canada

While Canada has moved beyond its colonial relationship with Great Britain, many argue that Aboriginal peoples in Canada continue to be entrenched in colonialism. In recent years, self-government negotiations have been initiated to redress this paradox. Problematic, however, is the fact that these negotiations are taking place in a socioeconomic environment that is being transformed by globalization. In this era of globalization, in which corporations assume a more dominant role in all spheres of life, the Canadian government is involved in a process of significant restructuring driven by a neoliberal agenda. In accordance with this vision of a minimalist state and unfettered market-driven development, self-government is being promoted as a means for political autonomy as well as for economic development in Aboriginal communities--all considered critical elements of decolonization. Through the process of devolution, the state is, arguably, promoting self-governance as a means to enhance the opportunity of A boriginal peoples to enter the market society and liberate them from traditional colonial constraints. But what are the implications for self-government arrangements constructed within this framework? This paper argues that self-government negotiated within the parameters of globalization, under the auspices of corporate dominance, does not represent decolonization but neocolonialism. Focussing on the condition of resource-rich Aboriginal communities within Canada, this paper considers why some First Nations appear to embrace self-government as a means of political autonomy and the partnering of their communities with corporations as a form of economic independence. It concludes by considering some potential consequences of globalization for First Nations. These conclusions envision the possibility of increased social pathologies for Aboriginal peoples if social-service needs are not met; the division of communities internally as they struggle to survive in a capitalist while maintaining their traditi onal values; conflict between First Nations and other Canadians as they struggle to gain access to resources; and the intensification of Aboriginal nationalism generally. This paper is not a critique of self-government, per se, but rather of the way it is being conceptualized and constructed, since it locks Aboriginal peoples in an unequal relationship as they pass from government paternalism to corporate dependency. As government yields to corporate pressures, it similarly subsumes the welfare of Aboriginal peoples to the demands of the market. Thus self-government today further subjects First Nations to corporate rule and solidifies their assimilation. Globalization Defined Critical to understanding the self-government process is the context in which it is occurring. In essence, self-government today is being implemented under the auspices of globalization. Globalization has become a common term in corporate and political circles with a variety of meanings ranging from descriptions of contemporary economic to political or even social phenomena and, for some, it is a dangerous euphemism for the current restructuring of international capitalism (Klak 1998,3). It moves on a parallel track with other such euphemisms: the information society, late capitalism, postmodernity, the end of history, the end of state sovereignty, and the end of democracy. My understanding of the term draws on Robert Cox's observation that the characteristics of the globalization trend include the internationalizing of production, the new international division of labor, new migratory movements from South to North, the new competitive environment that accelerates these processes, and the internationalizing of the state... making states into agencies of the globalizing world (Scholte 1997,21). Hence, the term implies economic change accompanied by political change. While most of the rhetoric associated with globalization privileges its economic component, I agree with Joachim Hirsch that globalization should not be exclusively seen as an adherence to an economic 'logic' or some sort of natural tendency of a market economy. …

Entrepreneurial development in Aboriginal communities in Australia and Canada

This article examines efforts to stimulate entrepreneurship among Aboriginal people in Australia and Canada. It describes the history of the relationship between Europeans and Aborigines in the two countries, including past efforts at economic development, and then compares two quite different approaches being used in the two countries to encourage entrepreneurial ventures among native peoples. Both approaches are in the experimental stage, so it is too early to draw firm conclusions about their usefulness. Preliminary indications are that each approach has strengths which might serve as valuable input to policy-making in the field of economic development strategy.