What is Coworking? It could be an indigenous community

Sensei Cat Johnson—who really gets it about “community” [1]—writes this month about a new community coworking space booting up in Winnipeg– Canoe Coworking.

Canoe aims to be a bit different, to be “indigenous-focused coworking” which above all means “creating a space that respects cultural protocol.” [2]

If coworking is all about community (and it definitely is [3]), then it is certainly interesting to look at existing communities as both models and customers for coworking spaces.

Canoe founder Tara Everett comments that this project has had to overcome mistrust of something so different from what her community is used to.  At the same time, she thinks that “Indigenous people have been coworking since the beginning of time”. Her vision of coworking is one that it maps to traditional organizations and ways..

“If you’re a hunter, you’re hunting; if you’re a gatherer, you’re gathering; if you’re…