| Summary: | After a review of the general characteristics of Aboriginal businesses on Canadian reserves, the empirical part of this research compares a sample of 22 on-reserve businesses interviewed within four reserves in Northern Ontario to a control sample of 229 businesses from across Northern Ontario. Both samples were surveyed in Spring/Summer 1997 by the Small Business Research Group, from Laurentian University's School of Commerce and Administration. The results confirmed the literature in showing a lack of structure, with 88% of the businesses unincorporated, a lack of capital, a sense of isolation and of being out of the information channels (a majority of respondents saw no benefits to networking), literacy problems among the population) and frustrations with government agencies. However, as among other groups in the Canadian business population, Aboriginal entrepreneurs were more educated than the general Aboriginal population. The remainder of the article discusses issues related to the development of entrepreneurship among the First Nations, including the Delgamuukw v. British Columbia decision by the Supreme Court of Canada and its potential effects. This article is partly based upon research funded by FedNor by the Small Business Research Group of the School of Commerce and Administration, Laurentian University of Sudbury. The author thanks Sherrie·Anne Frost, Research Assistant, for her help, Chief Margaret Penasse-Mayer and Adjunct Professor Ovide Mercredi for their comments on the early versions of the manuscript. This research was also partly funded by Human Resources Development Canada, the School of Commerce and Administration, Laurentian University of SUdbury, and College Boréal at Surgeon Falls.
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