Embargo Period

8-11-2025

Degree Name

MA in Sustainable Development

First Advisor

Sonya Ahamed

Abstract

This study examines how traditional practices and cultural values of the Chippewa Cree shape the economic identity and sustainability of the Rocky Boy Indian Reservation. Using a mixed-methods approach that combined demographic surveys with culturally grounded interviews, the research reveals that economic development in the community is inseparable from traditional knowledge systems, collective well-being, and ecological stewardship. Rather than centering on financial accumulations, wealth is defined by family, community, and cultural continuity, placing traditional knowledge on par with land and monetary resources.

Three central themes emerged from the data: (1) the enduring role of traditional values and cultural knowledge in guiding economic aspirations; (2) generational divides in knowledge transmission and perceptions of development; and (3) the evolving role of gender in shaping community participation. Importantly, participants did not view the traditional values as barriers to development, but as essential assets that should inform economic strategy. Yet, a gap remains in articulating how cultural assets such as traditional knowledge, art, and ceremony can be integrated into sustainable economic models without reducing them to commodified goods.

These findings highlight a pressing need for further research into the limitations and ethical implications of cultural commodification, and how Indigenous communities can design economic systems that preserve cultural integrity while engaging broader markets. The study offers a model for how Indigenous economic systems rooted in rational and ecological values provide critical insights into sustainable and equitable development in a post-colonial world.

Keywords: Indigenous economics, Chippewa Cree, cultural sustainability, traditional knowledge, economic development, decolonial theory, cultural commodification, Rocky Boy Reservation, intergenerational knowledge, relational wealth

Disciplines

Agricultural and Resource Economics | Economics | Environmental Studies

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