For my last blog on thinking about Entrepreneurship I wanted to discuss a reading we had last week about Indigenous development and Cultural Captivity of Entrepreneurship, written by Ana Maria Peredo and Murdith Mclean.
What got me about this article was the two examples given and the complexity of why the funding given to each was utilised in the way it was. Especially when it came to the Ankasha community.
The Ankasha people have a rich community spirit where everything is shared including land. Their traditions and everything I read about them sounded so close to home.
Like the Ankasha, we found value in exchange. Our entrepreneurship values didn’t lie in individualised gain, it was community gain.
I found myself thinking about books I have read about our history where Maori were seen to be useless or lazy because “they do nothing with their land”.
It was our traditional way to live as a community in support of each other, but when our way of life was stripped away by colonisation, we became stuck in a society we were unable to adjust to because of ongoing oppression and injustices and the unfamiliar territory of individualism.
I truly believe that if my brother makes it, I make it as well. If my sister can do it, so can I. So, when I see a Maori entrepreneur make it, I have no doubt that this person is inspiring other Maori to believe in themselves. Most Maori I know want to give back to our people no matter if they are entrepreneurs, sports people or just a normal 9 to 5er. Its in our blood.
But in today’s society, it can be hard to put the community first. Some of us need to save ourselves from the societal upbringings of today before we can even start to give back. The struggle is real! Its also why I think success in any shape or form for Maori and Maori Entrepreneurs is worthy of celebration whether at an individual or community based level.
Entrepreneurship is about creating something new that people will buy but I think at the heart of the Entrepreneur is a deeper want to change things for the better, for the betterment of people and for the planet and i do think that these are values nestled within Maori Entrepreneur hearts. Its in our genes, its in our roots and its unavoidable. We as a people will always be interlinked and rightly so, we should give back in any way we can because with my success, should be the success of my brothers, my sisters and all those that come after us.
Maori Entrepreneurship 