Indigenous and Western Notions of Entrepreneurship: A Legacy for the Mataqali

Abstract

This thesis study is an auto-ethnographic journey describing the role of an indigenous entrepreneur engaged with an extended family in Fiji regarding their undivided land which has lain dormant for one hundred and fifty years. The aim of the indigenous entrepreneur is to reconnect the extended family to each other and to their land so that development can take place. However, the context of Fiji’s history necessitates that two world views be examined since British colonialism and imperialism caused the entwinement of two cultures unfortunately with diversely differing views where land is involved. Two indigenous methodologies and numerous methods have catered for both indigenous and western views as these addressed the complexity of land tenure in Fiji. In addition, Schumpeter provides reinforcement with his notion of how combinations are constructed and the complexities thereof. Schumpeter’s combination notion along with Western methods has been compared with indigenous entrepreneurship. From these was found that historical epochs and diversity have caused a social disquiet of cash versus custom (Watters, 1965). These have shown that traditional Fijian society has been considerably weakened by British colonist policies. Further, Fijians education lags behind other ethnicities and this precludes most indigenous Fijians from accessing their own land as they do not know how to work with the western legal system. The implications for most of Pacifica is that the intervention of an indigenous entrepreneur is necessary. Such is the complexity of two world views regarding land that several things are required: “strength of will”, “breadth of horizon”, “alertness” to the opportunity and the ability to navigate two worlds (Schumpeter, 1928, 2003, p. 247-48). The failure to reconnect the extended family to the land possibly has the consequences of the land continuing to lose value instead of being built up as an asset for the future or even losing the land itself.