Gary Davis: Smarter plans for tribal economic development

The NCAIED, the largest Indian-specific business organization in the nation, works to expand economic opportunities in Indian country. Nowhere has this expansion been more notable in recent years than in the growth of E-commerce as an economic sector with the potential to bring economic opportunity to even the most remote tribal lands and reservations.

The Internet has the potential to become the great equalizer across Indian country since it transcends geography. However, with Internet access on reservation and tribal lands at only ten percent, we still have a long way to go. In spite of these obstacles, tribal governments have begun to develop sophisticated E- commerce ordinances and regulatory oversight for these new enterprises. This governmental activity is a breakthrough for tribal governments and creates an unquestionable opportunity that all of Indian country can benefit from.

Without aggressively exploring opportunities such as E-commerce, the poverty cycle will continues to devastate our communities at a higher rate than any other. In 2010, the child poverty rate was 40 percent across Indian country. Family poverty remains at 28 percent, compared to10 percent in the United States. NCAIED has, for more than 40 years, worked to assist tribal communities with these social problems by working to support tribal economic development. We have assisted American Indian Tribes and their enterprises with business and economic development, taking our motto literally and “putting Indian country to work.” This work betters the lives of Native Americans now and for generations to come.