Ricardo Godoy & others

I agree foremost with the introduction when it says that indigenous people are among the worldʻs poorest populations. I think that they are poor due to being robbed of their land, people (due to disease), and ultimately their culture. This was a difficult read for me because my brain automatically cringes away from readings with graphs and statistics and charts so I had to force myself to plod on through the reading. I really liked the section about the traditional use of renewable natural resources: (pg. 9)

"irrespective of traditional practices, increasing integration into the market and population pressure induce indigenous peoples to degrade renewable natural resources." (Godoy 2001)

We can see that very clearly in Hawaiʻi. With the ʻiliahi trades and with loʻi kalo abandonment. In my kānāwai class the other day we discussed how foreign demands and land seizing and the opportunity for different/new western jobs became available, how the Hawaiians deserted their usual jobs. Or families being struck with diseases couldnʻt tend to their loʻi and take care of their families at the same time. New ways were upon the Hawaiians and it took a toll on them and the ʻāina.
I find it frightening that our traditional knowledge about ecological sustainability will be lost soon. Who knows, the day could come soon where we wont need people who are skilled in knowing how to pick a tree for making a canoe. That basic knowledge could be lost forever.
I like a solution is that we should increase production in a sustainable way. Its sort of funny to me because thats how Hawaiians did things, we were all about sustainability in the old days, and our loʻi systems were a prime example of that. How we used the water from the streams and we took care of the stream because it went all the way to the ocean and through other loʻi. It wasnʻt until the westerners came with their new ways, that we forgot about sustainability and got lazy.

Howard Frederick

Aloha mai kākou,

As this is the first readings of scholarly text, the concepts and points that have been expressed about indigenous entrepreneurship has indeed continue to fill the pieces of this puzzle called life. To which may it be group discussions, random conversations with someone you may stumble upon, or whether its daily readings for class. For me, every little thing is helping me to find out what role I am to have in this life.

It almost feels like there are two halves of me, one that I have grown up to be, and the other, a responsibility for that of my Hawaiian culture. Growing up in Hawaiʻi, I feel that there is a common way of upbringing children, and spread throughout the islands, a set of values that for the most part we all abide by. Values such as respecting your elders, bringing something with you upon visiting a relative or friend, and the cordial way that we interact with one another. I have grown up in a western way with Hawaiian values and concepts, however it is not the same as that of my Tūtūʻs era.

In the article where they talk about indigenous societies, it says, "There is a growing social awareness that policies directed to re-igniting and/or developing new indigenous entrepreneurial activity has the potential to dramatically improve the economic and social positioning of its participants." It pains me to read this for  I feel that we already had all the necessary tools and resources to flourish economically. There have been so many changes to the economy that as a small state, It is rather expensive to live here. Now we are continuously scrambling to improve our economic and social standings.

As I read on, the term indigenous entrepreneurship was addressing both the social and economic goals of the community. Everything ties in together, and it is like that concept that what you do to one, will affect the other. The choices that you make has to be in this sense of entrepreneurship for the better of the community with a respective balance.

It is important and I think an advantage to know the culture, and the choices that you make will play a big role in the decisions that you set forth. By reading these articles, It is a great tool to see similar situations and how we could use it to benefit us in the decisions that we make.

Protocol for Discussion

Aloha!

Congratulations! I am enjoying your first blogs.

I really want us to learn from each other, so if you are inspired by a hoa papa's post or would like more clarification, then bring your questions (and praises!) to class. Until we get the groove of blogging, I want to limit kukakuka to class only.

See you Thursday!

Ps Guest speaker for thursday will be Hawaiian Language alumni, Williama Fernandez.

BLOG 1-Howard H. Frederick

Aloha mai kakou,

I really enjoyed reading this paper in regard to advancing economically and socially as Indigenous people in a Western influenced society. I find it very interesting the approaches to finding a middle ground between cultural practice/tradition and capitalism/economic gain.       

I was very drawn to the Maori article as I saw many similarities between the Maori and Hawai’i.

                Where ever development is implemented, there is a need to look at all factors that may have causative affect on the place, and on it’s people. When this does not happen, there is conflict due to outside forces coming in with a “top down” approach. That is, they believe that the most important thing is getting the desired result in the best way THEY see fit. However this results in more negative complications then positive. When going into a place that has an Indigenous people living there you have to incorporate the people and their culture or else it won’t work. The outcome or goal might have good intentions behind it but if the people and culture are not taken into consideration, and their valuable mana’o is not incorporated into the plan, the plan will fail.

This is supported by the quote “For this to happen, the models that we use to teach and encourage entrepreneurial activity must take cultural dynamics seriously and acknowledge the complexities and paradoxes that will exist.” Because of differences in cultures there has to be a “bottom-up” union and collaboration when implementing a new idea, concept, or way of life, as they acknowledge in this new concept of “Indigenous Entrepreneurs.”

We see in the Maori issue that as a result of colonization the Indigenous communities have suffered economically and socially because of the said “top down” approach. There was a miscommunication between the Crown and the Indigenous people because of different objectives, different motives, and different cultures. That of the Crown was to move itself forward a$ a large nation, to conquer. Whereas the Maori’s sole initiative was to move itself forward as a people in promoting the well-being of the collective Maori society. Because of these differences in objectives the Maori’s state of economic and social being shifted from that of a thriving people, rich in resources and in communal relations, to one of dislocation and loss of culture, a lot like that of Hawai'i.

            In the examples we can see that it is the conflict of interests that cause any attempt of advancement to fail. In example 2 on Venture B where Maori performed in a Pakeha-controlled environment, the intentions to set up the institution were valid but were swayed when true(differing) motives came to light.“Not anticipated was the lengths to which the pakeha institution was willing to undermine its Maori relationships to increase revenue…management that was no longer required to demonstrate any rangatira-sanctioned accountability to the local tribal group.” Because of the conflict of interest between the Pakeha and the Maori and the lack of incorporation of Indigenous consult, the Maori ended up not benefiting from the program at all.

            In contrast when we look at the new Venture C, they are seeing success because it is the Maori who are setting up the framework of this program to be a “premier New Zealand Maori cultural experience.”

By the Maori taking the position of power they go back to their cultural and genealogical ties and they can now be moving forward as a people economically and socially all the while staying true to their beliefs.

            We Hawaiians have done quite a lot of modeling after the Maori people in relation to language and cultural resurgence, this perhaps is another venue to consider in moving forward as Kanaka Maoli in a modern, and Western influenced Hawai‘i.

Therefore what I took from this reading is that in order to advance, we kanaka have to move into seats of power, where we can make informed decisions that will influence change and shape the society that we would like to live in. We will incorporate our culture into making programs and occupations that benefit ourselves as well as our people in attempting to reverse the economic and social dislocation that we too are suffering from.

Indigenous Entrepreneurship

Aloha kākou,
This article was interesting in many ways. Amongst other things, it was a reminder that I need to learn more English vocab :)
Indigenous Entrepreneurship- "The enterprise-related activities of indigenous people in the pursuit of their social/cultural self-determination and economic goals."(Anderson)

All the articles were very interesting, but the article on the Potikitanga is one that I found myself always going back to. It spoke of the the social and economic suffering the Maori people faced and their desire to implement entrepreneurial activity into their communities in such a way that "particular histories, cultures and values play prominent role."

 I was surprised that this concept is being looked at by native peoples as something new. The concept of entrepreneurs have been around in our native societies for a very long time. Aliʻis in their own right were Economic & Social entrepreneurs. They were the ones to work through "the process of identifying, shaping and pursuing market opportunities" (Shane). They were the "decision makers whose entire role arises out of alertness to the hitherto unnoticed opportunities."

Socially, Aliʻi had to be sure that the concept of generalized reciprocity was enforced to ensure the well-being of everyone. They were sure to enforce "the construction, evaluation, and pursuit of opportunities for transformative social change". Is this not why we came here to these islands, to pursue social and economic change. Our aliʻi were awesome akamai people. They understood that with good social standings, economically we are set. Hence the arrangement of reciprocity. If one needed something from up mauka, they would trade their goods from makai, and get what they needed. The abundance of goods ensured that this exchange would be on-going, further providing for everyone exactly what they needed.

I feel that implementing entrepreneurial activity into our communities is awesome. It is easily adapted because that is how our cultures are built. We all carry a certain kuleana and should use our expertise in exchange for anothers. The fact that majority of indigenous entrepreneurs are disadvantaged and marginalized is sad. But we must realize that this is a concept that should be familiar to us all.

Howard Frederick

After reading the first article,  two things stand out: 1) The European Commissionʻs 2003 list of barriers to explain why indigenous people tend not to be entrepreneurs. 2) The idea that “disadvantaged people” will tend to become entrepreneurs out of necessity.

 As a Hawaiian, sure a lot of the“ 2003 list of barriers” apply to us as a people to an extent but something more important has been overlooked and that is the idea that culturally our ideology is in conflict with that of business world. Capitalism is a system based on individuals making profit rather than the whole, basically someoneʻs got a loose.  And from a cultural perspective its vise versa so that the everyone may benefit. 

 If your family is starving and you got something people want and are willing to pay you for it. I can imagine that people will out of survival tend to relinquish their moral code. I recognize that entrepreneurs who are not brought up to live culturally pono tend to have the ability to make that comprise in the name of doing business. 

So while the term “indigenous people” has no universal definition, indigenous people have a universal moral code that makes it extremely difficult to be a successful entrepreneur and still culturally pono. In the end all things considered I find it hard to see how natives people all over the world “have the power to create the greatest change for their own countries” through the discovery of entrepreneurship.

Indigenous Economies - Howard Frederick

Aloha Nō ʻOukou, ʻo Geodee kēia and I am now in this class with all of you, Aloha.

This reading was actually eye-opening and rather engaging in many different areas of this type of research that was conducted. From the very beginning to the end of this article I have acquired many new vocabulary words which I have to admit, slowed me down in the completion of reading. This text begins with the encompassed definition of the term Indigenous People, and how they are defined in a society where the colonizer has a never ending presence on their land.

The conversation of an indigenous entrepreneur is quite new to me and I found it very interesting. I was engaged with Scase and Goffeeʻs thesis about "entrepreneurs may be more likely to emerge from those groups in society which are deprived or marginal, groups which are discriminated against, looked down upon or exploited." I do see the resemblance that a minority who is seeking his own business would have a deeper and greater drive to want to achieve and make his business thrive due to his economic status amongst society. With the idea of indigenous entrepreneurship, I strongly hope that an indigenous entrepreneur is setting out into business to first and foremost to help the economic income of his/her people, family, and culture. Within reading Potikitanga and how the genealogical importance is regarded amongst Maori society, the Potiki are encouraged by Mauipreneur and how to engage in the business world while still being in the guidelines of Maori society. The Marae plays a big role in identifying a Maori and it also ties them to their genealogical obligation in an entrepreneurship.

Toursim and the Chatham Islands is a new issue that I havenʻt read about before. I do realize that tourism has its ups and downs and seasons that are fruitful, yet trying to force this type of income on a tiny island to save its economy is very frighting. And the fight of who was the original people of that land is very uneasy, I believe the people of that land know who they are and where they came from. The discussion of the Chatham Islands was eye-opening and intriguing. Overall, I was surprise that I have gained a lot of new insight about indigenous people who are interested and who own their own enterprise.

Howard

Although the language of this article is not something I read on a regular basis, I wish I could have read it a couple of years ago when I was taking Hawaiian Studies 445 "Hawaiian Institutions" with kumu Kekai Perry. I do believe that I would have been able to answer the question he posed to us a lot more eloquent and with much more evidence. "What is a Hawaiian institution?"

The main Idea of the first article was "indigenous entrepreneurship." A quote that stuck with me was by Scase and Goffee "[...] entrepreneurs may be more likely to emerge from those groups in society which are deprived or marginal, i.e. groups which are discriminated against, persecuted, looked down upon or exceptionally exploited." My opinion is that people  who are discriminated know that society is flawed and look outside of that world for something better. That quote stuck with me because I remember watching a television program with a interview of Serena and Venus William's Father. In this interview he stated that he moved his children from a nice neighborhood to Compton in LA. because he said "that champions came from the ghetto's."

In the second article I liked the quote "Indigenous entrepreneurship is thus both economic and social and cannot be adequately explained by either separately." This is true because indigenous people are not able to separate them. A perfect example of this is when I hear people say "its just business" Does that statement mean that because "its just business" so, I can screw you over. Where is the moral judgment? Another thing that I feel the author describes in this article is something like kuleana. The relationship that a indigenous person has with his community and the respect he must give to that community. It grounds that individual into reality. I feel that if all business models in the world had this grounding the world would be a friendlier place for indigenous people to exist in. It is easy to let yourself down but much harder to let your community down.

What interested me in the last article was the question who is the indigenous people of the Chathan Islands? That in its self could be the hugest debate and everyone would have a case.

I personally enjoyed the readings and took a lot of valuable information from them. The most important of which was the questions, that now I feel I must find answers for. Mahalo no.

HOWARD

When I tell people that I am in Hawaiian Studies they often immediately come to the conclusion that I will pursue a teaching degree. I enjoy learning about indigenous entrepreneurship because it shows that there are many other options out there for us. I agree with U'i that our self victimization may keep us from perusing the business world. It is interesting to think about how often times as indigenous people we may inhibit ourselves, by believing that we are illiterate to the current capitalist system. I know personally I subconsciously feel this way. I believe in the Hawaiian Community it is a challenge trying to figure out how to practice your culture and pay the bills at the same time. Sometimes the exchange of money does not feel appropriate for certain products or services. For example I heard about _____ selling Pa'i'ai for $20 dollars a pound in whole foods. This is just what I heard but I am sure many have mixed feelings about this. I am not trying to say either of these guys are wrong, they are just prime examples of indigenous entrepreneurship. I guess these mixed feelings may be part of why we are"disadvantaged entrepreneurs". I feel that the perhaps this "money system" may often times be yet another thing that separates our people.
At the same time I can think of a bunch of successful Hawaiian entrepreneurs that I feel found the balance between doing "cultural services" in a colonized system. This was my understanding of the "mauitrepreneur" metaphor. I feel this helped to show that even though the colonizer business system may seem to be in another language, we can find a way to look and understand it through our lense as indigenous peoples. Ultimately understanding the business system is exactly what Paiea did when he first started to interact with the foreigners. He made it a goal to learn and master their ways (warfare, politics) but use them in a Hawaiian way (He never prayed to jesus).

sorry kumu, guess it was still in draft form

Capitalism vs. Indigenous Economies

I thoroughly enjoyed reading the positive opportunities and studies of these mentioned indigenous people. As we have discussed in other Hawaiian Studies classes, we often see many Hawaiians choosing to play the victim role and holding on to inherited bitterness from the overthrow. Throughout Frederick’s article, this thought kept crossing my mind. However, the idea of indigenous entrepreneurship is shining light on the ambitious and innovative nature of our people. I feel that we are beginning to see this entrepreneurship from many potiki in Hawai‘i these days. With portals such as facebook and other marketing websites, it is easy for individuals and small businesses to kick-start their entrepreneurship.

A particular statement that I liked was Anderson saying that there “remains a strong desire to use entrepreneurial activity to rebuild these communities in such a way that ‘particular histories, cultures, and values play a prominent role’”. I think that this it is very important to see an indigenous people’s culture and especially their values intertwined into not only the economy, but the government as a whole. I was just talking to a friend the other day about how knowing and understanding something as simple as our relationship with the ‘āina can play a great role in your job and even change your perspective. Just as Kaleo spoke with us on Thursday, many companies are taking this into consideration when looking for an employee.

Lastly, another thing that really stuck out in my mind was the Maori’s ability to connect an ancient mo‘olelo and lesson to today’s economy and world. The Mauipreneur model is a great example of being able to use our kūpuna’s knowledge and mo‘olelo in present day. I like how he relates the many characteristics of the legendary Maui to the attributes we need in order to be successful indigenous entrepreneurs.

Howard Frederick

Although I know that this is a paper about enterprising communities and the different cultural factors that are involved, I wasnʻt sure if I should be offended overall. When I first scanned through it seemed like the paper was saying "despite their cultures, these indigenous groups of people can be taught and can be successful!" Its offensive. True, many cultures have come back and progressed after suffering through economic and social dislocation and wrongdoings. And thats something to be proud of! But how some people view indigenous cultures is so wrong. Some white people view indigenous cultures as being behind their own, when thats completely false. Colonizers were so intent on de-colonizing and making indigenous cultures like their own that they failed to realize that the cultures they were trying to take over were far more advanced than their own.

Moving on to the first part of the actual article, I have to agree with a few of the barriers mentioned by the European commission. Living in Hawaii, naturally most native people have family and financial burdens. Hawaiʻi also has a high rate of people on welfare, and a high rate of jobless people. Cultural differences are somewhat a problem here also. The problem being that living in Hawaiʻi is hard because a lot of the jobs that we have available are tourism based, so visitors to Hawaiʻi get the idea that the natives exist to serve. Its also hard to get jobs because a lot of mainland companies come here and hire mainland contractors to build their buildings and some restaurants even bring in people from the mainland to work here! (ex:Walgreens/cvs)

As for the Maori article on indigenous entrepreneurship, I agree with what was said about how in order to have successful Maori-benefitting entrepreneurships they need to be further developed in terms of accountability beyond social and economic entrepreneurial thinking. I find it strange that entrepreneurship has a negative influence on Maori society. Shouldʻnt they embrace new things and support the younger generations for wanting to own and run their own business? But I can also see how social and individual challenges may come into play. Families would not approve of their child being an entrepreneur when it involves taking greater risks than normal.

Iʻm not too sure about how I feel about the TOMM model. I do agree that it needs to be tweaked and have more indigenous influence. I like how its stated that: "careful implementation of the above model may assist the Chatham Islands to develop a socially and economically sustainable community." Were the Chatham islands not perfectly sustainable before colonists came? They were hunters and gatherers and fishermen. Indigenous people are not helpless people. "Economic development through the introduction of a co-ordinated community supported tourism plan is one way that the Islanders could secure their future." In other words let tourism "save" (rule) your culture.

I feel like all indigenous people will always be fighting a battle. A battle to push through and be successful besides all negative odds.

Jenny Estrella - Howard Frederick

Through this reading I was able to contemplate and iron-out some pre-existing notions of "financial entrepreneurship" vs native "social entrepreneurship".  This reading has allowed me to make meaningful sense of my cultural world view when practicing in a "western world."  I find the term "Mauipreneur" model: was highly effective in symbiotically marrying the two realms in which I exist, "Western" and "Native Hawaiian".

The Chathams article takes a very open look at what tourism provides not only to the Chatham islands, but to us in Hawaii.  I believe the view on the Chathams can be helpful for Hawai'i in implimentation of effective and sustainable practices in terms of cultural, environmental and economic survival. If there was a better integration of the indigenous perspective there could be a more complimentary system that would better answer the needs of Hawai'i.

My horizons have widened to understand what is possible.  I believe there is a strong need to return to the value system of "Rangatira" and the "Potikitanga." Looking to our elders to balance the future younger generations was key to the survival of our ancestor and I feel what will be Key for our future survival.  This is a vital necessity that I will look towards incorporating into my future entrepreneur goals.

One thought:
In Hookele class I asked when navigating on the Wa'a what exactly is used to find out if you are going on the right path
The answer:
You watch the wake that is behind the wa'a, then you can tell where you are headed.