For aboriginals, entrepreneurship is the path to economic independence – The Globe and Mail
May. 08 2015
Raven Smith is an entrepreneur, growth strategist, and start-up advisor currently living in Boston. She is a member of the Carcross-Tagish First Nation in the Yukon Territory.
My First Nation, located in the Yukon Territory, has a long history of entrepreneurship: long before the Klondike Gold Rush, the Chilkoot pass was our historic trading route with the coastal Tlingit people. In recent years, I’ve watched my home community of Carcross emerge as a growing tourist destination, infusing energy in our community and seeding a thriving local economy.
I now live in Boston amid its thriving start-up culture. In the collision of my worlds I see a future in which aboriginal communities are increasingly achieving economic self-sufficiency. Young aboriginal entrepreneurs and investors are driving this change. They understand that business and entrepreneurship provide our path to economic independence.
