Strategic alliances in indigenous entrepreneurship contexts: a case study of the Scuzzy Creek Hydro Project

Indigenous communities throughout Canada and the world value their distinctive and varied heritages. They value both autonomy and cultural integrity. Nevertheless, in order to prosper in a highly competitive and globalised world, most Indigenous communities need to consider the issue of strategic alliances involving both other Indigenous communities and non-Indigenous people and organizations from the mainstream of the nation state. Combined with this desire for prosperity, Indigenous people and organizations have formed strategic alliances with non-Indigenous people and organizations in the attempt to advance the economic development of their communities. Indigenous communities also utilize strategic alliances to take back control of their territory and the resources within its territory. Therefore, these communities need to consider the twin issues of when and how to create appropriate strategic alliances in order to discover, evaluate and exploit entrepreneurial opportunities. This paper has one dominant aim: to critically examine the Scuzzy Creek Hydro Project (a strategic alliance between the Nlaka'pamux Nation and non-Indigenous partners) in light of both the mainstream strategic alliance literature and a range of Indigenous perspectives.