The most pervasive disaster of our new century is echoing and reechoing in Indian Country. And it’s not just the health and well-being of communities that are struggling with outsize consequences. From the onset, the pandemic’s economic effects have hit hard — and disproportionately — in tribal communities, many of which were already at an economic disadvantage.
An April survey of tribal leaders, organizations, and tribal and Native-owned enterprises nationwide, conducted by the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis Center for Indian Country Development, found that over 50 percent of respondents had laid off or furloughed employees. Of the enterprises alone, over 30 percent reported that they had laid off 80 percent to 100 percent of their employees, with gaming and related operations the hardest hit.
What’s more, over 80 percent of tribal enterprises said they anticipated severe revenue loss along with an increase in the cost of their operations. A fundamental challenge here is that revenues from tribal enterprises help fund tribal governments, so when tribal enterprises are squeezed, it’s not just the jobs of their direct employees that are at risk. Only one of the respondents reported capital needs met by the SBA’s Payroll Protection Program, which points to concerns among enterprises in general regarding how to keep their businesses going.
The Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development at the Kennedy School has pointed out that the tax base many tribal governments rely on to fund services like health care and child care — both of which are under severe pressure during the pandemic — has dwindled alarmingly. And when tribal revenues from casinos and other operations decrease, the effect can reverberate in the form of taxes the tribe is not paying to states, counties, and towns.
But as somber as this picture is, and will likely continue to be for some time, there is reason for hope. Native people have overcome even darker challenges. And they have done it again and again. Underlying resilience is the good news, and Indian Country has no shortage of entrepreneurs and visionary leaders ready to reignite the pre-pandemic growth that was reversing decades of economic stagnation.
In fact, there are glimmers of hope in many places. Take, for example, the Native American Youth Entrepreneurship Program run by the Native Nations Institute at the University of Arizona. Through the program, which ran two virtual sessions last summer, high school students learn from experts how to build the skills they need to turn their creative ideas into actual businesses.
With perseverance these young innovators will join the many creative people, like those behind the 10 enterprises listed here, who have already done just that. What they have accomplished is inspiring. It’s clear that Native-owned businesses and tribal enterprises that can benefit each other and pump money back into communities will continue to create opportunities — and fulfilling STEM jobs — in Indian Country and beyond.
This roster of 10 Native STEM enterprises is not intended to be a definitive list. Instead, it is meant to be representative of the variety of organizations large and small that are making Indian Country an increasingly interesting place to be for STEM professionals. Enterprises on the list were chosen based on broad criteria, such as workforce and business development, philanthropy, support of education, STEM knowledge, and overall corporate values.
Akana
Portland, Ore.
FIELD: Engineering, design, project management
TRIBAL AFFILIATION: Three Affiliated Tribes
â–¸ akana.us
Castle Hill Technologies
Clayton, N.C.
FIELD: Project engineering for pharmaceutical manufacturing
TRIBAL AFFILIATION: Lumbee
â–¸ castlehilltech.com
Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Telephone Authority
Eagle Butte, S.D.
FIELD: Telephone services, fiber optic internet
TRIBAL AFFILIATION: Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe
â–¸ crstta.com
Indigenous Engineering Inclusion With IndigeSTEAM
Calgary, Alberta
FIELD: Youth outreach, Indigenous inclusion training
TRIBAL AFFILIATION: Fond du Lac Saskatchewan
â–¸ indigesteam.ca
Native BioData Consortium
FIELD: Biomedical research
â–¸ nativebio.org
Navajo Nation Office of Diné School Improvement
Window Rock, Ariz.
FIELD: Education, developing STEM in Diné schools
TRIBAL AFFILIATION: Navajo (Diné)
â–¸ odsmt.org
Obsidian Websites
Litchfield Park, Ariz.
FIELD: Website development and creative design
TRIBAL AFFILIATION: Navajo
â–¸ obsidianwebsites.com
Project Mosaic LLC
Denver, Colo.
FIELD: Health strategies and communications
TRIBAL AFFILIATION: Ponca, Ojibwe, Santee
â–¸ projectmosaicllc.com
Tinhorn Consulting
Tempe, Ariz.
FIELD: Digital consulting for Indigenous projects
TRIBAL AFFILIATION: Hualapai, Navajo
â–¸ tinhorn-consulting.com
Yakama Forest Products
White Swan, Wash.
FIELD: Lumber, sustainable forest products
TRIBAL AFFILIATION: Yakama Indian Nationxy
â–¸ yakamaforestproducts.com
First Nations and Indigenous entrepreneurs are creating jobs and building communities across Canada. Here are just a few.
Aguathuna Drafting and Consulting
Port au Port East, Newfoundland
FIELD: Engineering, geoscience
â–¸ nldronecompany.com
Decontie Milestone
Kitigan Zibi, Quebec
FIELD: Construction, environmental contracting
â–¸ decontieconstruction.ca
Fort McKay Industrial Solutions
Fort McMurray, Alberta
FIELD: Energy, mining, protective gear
â–¸ fmis.ca
Neegan Burnside
Orangeville, Ontario
FIELD: Engineering and environmental consulting
â–¸ Neeganburnside.com
Qikiqtaaluk Corporation
Iqaluit, Nunavat
FIELD: Fisheries, property development and management
â–¸ qcorp.ca
