First Nations Co-ops

Many First Nations peoples around the world have deep traditions of communal governance as well as economic and social activities. As a result, Aboriginal peoples have organised formal co-operative organisations to provide housing and health services, to produce and market art, to operates stores and to encourage tourism. In some instances the development of co-operatives has been emphasized by government officials responsible for communities and reserves. Generally, the co-operatives that have encouraged leadership from the Aboriginal membership, however, have been the most successful.

In Canada, there are about 100 co-operatives in which the membership is exclusively or predominantly Aboriginal. Inuit have been particularly successful in developing co-operatives to meet a multitude of purposes although they are best known for their successful development of the Northern art business.

There is a need to evaluate how successful the existing First nations co-operatives have been and to understand how First Nations people can more effectively use them for their economic and social purposes. As Aboriginal peoples gain more responsibility for their own future, the co-operative model may become a particularly attractive form of enterprise, one that allows them to infuse their economic organisations with the values traditional to their societies.

Resources

A Report on Aboriginal Co-ops in Canada
(Ian MacPherson and Lou Hammond Ketilson)
Resource materials on co-operatives development for Aboriginal Peoples (includes 13 case studies in Appendix I, including Wilp Sa Maa'y located in northwestern BC)