Greenhalgh, Suzie, Mika, Jason, Alcantara, Christopher, Awatere, Shaun, Bell, Kendon, Dell, Kiri, Feir, Donn L., Frye, Dustin, Jarvis, Diane, Kong, Taryn, Maclean, Kirsten, Robinson, Cathy, Spiller, Chellie, Wolfgramm, Rachel M., and Woodward, Emma (2025) Ka Mua, Ka Muri—Walking Backwards into the Future: Revitalizing Indigenous Economies and Economies of Well-Being. Indigenous Business and Public Administration, 3 (1). pp. 13-27.

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Abstract

The concept of and desire for well-being economies are rising in prevalence as traditional business paradigms are questioned and alternative framings are being sought. Indigenous peoples, their economies, and their approach to business can provide a rich source of learning to enable and help facilitate a transition to economies of well-being. As Indigenous peoples are emerging from their colonial pasts, they are becoming more empowered to make investment choices, use business models, and form partnerships grounded in their worldviews, which are often well aligned with a well-being economy.

In this paper, we note some of the obstacles Indigenous economies have faced and outline success stories where Indigenous tribes/communities/peoples have created business opportunities that are underpinned by their worldviews and are thriving commercially. We then describe a conceptual framework for how Indigenous peoples could support a broader transition to economies of well-being. Indigenous worldviews can provide a way for ‘reimagining’ the economy. Growing the self-determination of Indigenous peoples provides greater opportunities to create ‘reimagined business models’ that align with a reimagined economy and Indigenous worldviews, and thus helps demonstrate ways to start a transition toward economies of well-being. The findings, insights, and conclusions outlined in this paper were drawn from a convened workshop and subsequent dialogue of 24 Indigenous and non-Indigenous scholars from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States of America.

Item ID:	86680
Item Type:	Article (Research - C1)
ISSN:	2766-015X
Keywords:	Economies of Well-being; Indigenous worldviews; business models; reimagined economies
Related URLs:	https://repository.gonzaga.edu/ibapa/vol...
Copyright Information:	© 2024 The Author(s). This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC-BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. See http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. This Research is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at The Repository of Gonzaga University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Indigenous Business & Public Administration by an authorized editor of The Repository of Gonzaga University. For more information, please contact wawrzyniak@gonzaga.edu.
Date Deposited:	22 Oct 2025 00:40
FoR Codes:	45 INDIGENOUS STUDIES > 4505 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, society and community > 450511 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander economics @ 60% 38 ECONOMICS > 3899 Other economics > 389902 Ecological economics @ 40%
SEO Codes:	21 INDIGENOUS > 2101 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community services > 210102 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander development and wellbeing @ 60% 15 ECONOMIC FRAMEWORK > 1599 Other economic framework > 159902 Ecological economics @ 40%
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