Beginning the Cooperative Journey Together

A Guide to Indigenous Community Cooperative Development

Cooperative Development Services (CDS) and our partners at the Minnesota Indigenous Business Alliance (MNIBA) are pleased to make available this 2020 publication: Beginning the Cooperative Journey Together: A Guide to Indigenous Community Cooperative Development.  Authored by MNIBA, with content and editing support from CDS, the Guide is intended to support collective and cooperative approaches within Indigenous communities. 

The Guide:

• Illustrates and celebrates the history and practice of collective and cooperative ownership among Indigenous peoples throughout Turtle Island (North America).  
• Demonstrates the strength of Native languages in guiding the design of a cooperative business. 
• Highlights successful cooperatives and best practices among Indigenous communities from North Carolina to Alaska.
• Introduces recommended protocols for cooperative developers interested in working with Indigenous communities.
• Presents a series of policy recommendations for Tribal Governments, Tribal Colleges and Foundations to support cooperative development and growth.

The publication was completed through grant funding from the USDA Socially Disadvantaged Group Grant program.