Women Making a Difference
Carol Anne Hilton is on a quest to include Indigenous perspectives are included economies and business models with Indigenomics
Carol Anne Hilton is the founder and CEO of the Indigenomics Institute and the Global Centre of Indigenomics. She is of Nuu chah nulth descent, from the Hesquiaht Nation on Vancouver Island, and the author of Indigenomics: Taking a Seat at the Economic Table, published in 2021. Hilton’s interest in Indigenous business, entrepreneurship and economies framed much of her career focus, and led to her creation of the #Indigenomics hashtag, which has become a hub for stories and news showcasing the impact and success of Indigenous businesses everywhere. Disruption recently had the opportunity to chat with Hilton about Indigenomics, the importance of including Indigenous perspectives and practices in our economies and the role Indigenous models of business can play in addressing some of the big challenges we face today.
How do you describe Indigenomics?
Indigenomics is economics from an indigenous worldview. It brings into focus the concept that Indigenous peoples have been excluded from the mainstream economy, and is the process of our collective response for inclusion and bringing into visibility Indigenous perspectives of economy itself.
Tell me about your book.
I wrote the book because I wanted to create the space of what Indigenomics is and what it was becoming. In it I also talk about how Indignous peoples are taking our seat at the economic table and the importance of measuring Indigenous economic strength. Indigenous inclusion is now an expectation but I wanted to show how the foundation of economic exclusion was formative in nation building — a truth that many would like to forget and isn't taught in our school systems — so when we measure the socioeconomic gaps that exist, we’re not measuring the cause, which was hundreds of years of economic exclusion. And so that’s what I set out to do in the book — describe the space of Indigenomics, and shape it into a place to have dialogue, a place to reflect and a place to learn.
What informed your interest in indigenous economies, business and entrepreneurship?
I was very much influenced as a young person. In Clayoquot Sound, near Tofino, we had what came to be known as the War in the Woods, a major uprising in response to clearcutting by logging companies, which was causing major destruction and leading to clashes with industry. That shaped a lot of my thinking and led to me beginning to articulate the distinction of Indigenous world views and Indigenous ways of thinking. And of course, these events were only ever told from one perspective in the media, but I started to become more interested in an Indigenous perspective, which is often absent from these narratives. That led me to developing Indigenomics, and wanting to to articulate how Indigenous narratives, thinking, practices and ways of being influenced those clashes.
How would you characterize those differences in economic models?
That’s a very big question. One way to look at it is what is valued. An Indigenous economic system values relationships. It's about responsibility. It's about reciprocity. It's about stewardship, sustainability, long term thinking and future generations, whereas in a capitalistic or Western mainstream model there’s more of a focus on quarterly revenue and return on investments. It isn’t about relationships or valuing humanity. It's just a totally different language, different operating systems and as a result, there’s so much that has been missed by denying Indigenous peoples from having a seat at the economic table. Just looking at how relevant Indigenous perspectives and knowledge systems are to some of our big questions today, around sustainable development goals and climate change and achieving net-zero economies. We’re seeing now how the inclusion of Indigenous perspectives is becoming more and more important.
How do you think the incorporation of indigenous perspectives can impact some of those big questions we’re grappling with as a society?
Let's take the example of ESG (environmental, social and corporate governance). There's a lot of activity happening around building accountable systems, measurements and outcomes, and those systems are natural within indigenous structures of economy. Value creation and responsibility and accountability are fundamental elements of an Indigenous economy. It’s not an afterthought.
What are some examples of progress you’ve seen in the inclusion and recognition of Indigenous practices and world view?
There was recently an Indigenous business competition on the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network called Bear’s Lair, which showcased 18 Indigenous entrepreneurs who competed for a $100,000 grand prize. It highlighted strong narratives around how Indigenous businesses are building sustainability into their models and it was great seeing these examples. Elsewhere we’re seeing companies really making their mark, even in industries that we have traditionally not been involved in. Cheekbone Beauty is a great example as the largest Indigenous beauty business creating sustainable, clean and vegan products. In the investment world we have Raven Indigenous Capital Partners, who are driving a new space for emerging Indigenous enterprises in new ways, with a community focus and building criteria around impact derived from the Indigenous world view.
These examples bring into focus that distinction of how Indigenous businesses are doing business differently — community oriented, focused on wellbeing and sustainability.
What’s on the horizon with your work on Indigenomics?
During the pandemic the Indigenomics Institute established the Global Centre for Indigenomics and we’re working on a two-year track of global engagement where we explore what a World Indigenous Economic Forum would look like, so I’m very excited about that. In 2024 we’re going to have Indigenomics Now, which will be a 24-hour virtual conference on thought leadership around the creation of that Forum.