Indigenous People on the Web

This paper explores the ways in which Indigenous people around the world are participating in the World Wide Web, through establishing their own websites or accessing services via the Web. Indigenous websites are remarkably diverse: in addition to those representing Indigenous organizations and promoting Indigenous e-commerce, many websites have also been established to further unique concerns of Indigenous communities such as the maintenance and revitalization of Indigenous cultures, intercultural dialogue between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people, political advocacy and mobilization, community rebuilding and social support for disadvantaged communities. Despite the early involvement of Indigenous people on the Web, there still remain many unresolved issues, which include low levels of computer literacy and Internet connectivity, the cost of the technology, low levels of business understanding to support e-commerce, and concerns over the misappropriation of Indigenous knowledge and culture.