T HE E CON OM Y THE ECO NOMY
Renewing Indigenous Economies For decades, patronizing laws and government inertia have held Native Americans hostage. It’s time the tribes were free to prosper on their own terms.
By Terry L. Anderson and Kathy Ratté
T
he history of Indigenous economies in the Americas
presents a puzzle: the soci eties encountered by the first Europeans were generally prosperous but Indian
Key points » American Indians were well-acquainted with private property long before European contact. » Indigenous norms and customs focused on managing shared resources such as foraging territory, fisheries, and hunting grounds. » Romantic views toward Native American property rights continue to erode those rights.
Terry L. Anderson is the John and Jean De Nault Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution and participates in Hoover’s Human Prosperity Project. He is past president of the Property and Environment Research Center (PERC) in Bozeman, Montana, and a professor emeritus at Montana State University. Kathy Ratté is a former high school teacher, curriculum designer, and online educational instructor, and is currently a consultant in economic education for the Alliance for Renewing Indigenous Economies. They are the co-authors of Renewing Indigenous Economies (Hoover Institution Press, 2022). H O O V ER D IG E ST • S u m m e r 2022
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