Closing The Financial Access Gap: Empowering Native Women, Transforming Economies

Forbes

07-05-2025

In Native communities across the United States, we have always known: when you invest in women, you invest in whole nations. Women are the backbone of our communities, the culture-bearers, the caretakers, the changemakers. Yet, in an economy built on exclusion, Native women — like so many women globally — continue to face steep barriers to financial access and economic freedom.
Oweesta team members Monique Behrens, Florence Ludka, Sayre Savage and Drea Domebo manning the booth at the 2024 OFN conference in Los Angeles. CA. Sam Levitan Photography
To explore how closing the financial access gap can transform entire communities, we spoke with Native women leaders working at the frontlines of economic empowerment. In their own words, they share their vision for changing narratives, the clients who inspire them, and the women who shaped their leadership journeys. 'For far too long, Native women have been denied access to the financial systems that shape our lives and our futures,' says Chrystel Cornelius, President and CEO of Oweesta Corporation. 'But we are changing that—through Indigenous leadership, culturally grounded finance, and unwavering commitment to self-determination. We are rewriting the narrative of what is possible.'
Rewriting the Narrative
At Oweesta Corporation, a Native CDFI intermediary predominantly led by Indigenous women, we're not just advocating for change — we're building it from the ground up. Our work centers on expanding access to capital, education, and opportunity so Native people can thrive on their own terms, in their own communities.
Across Indian Country, Native women leaders are stepping into their power and transforming economies. One of those leaders is Skya Ducheneaux, Executive Director of Akiptan, an Indigenous-led CDFI that finances Native agriculture.
For too long, the public narrative about Native communities has focused solely on struggle. Skya calls for a shift — one that centers Native excellence, innovation, and strength. 'One thing that I hate is focusing on the negatives only. Our communities have SO much to offer beyond the rough edges. We have culture, we have family, we have hope, we have a depth of history, we are resilient, we are powerful, and we are so much more than a dilapidated house or a broken-down car or whatever else is going to get shown in those situations.'
The Power of Trust and Relationship
This spirit of strength, despite historical and systemic disinvestment, is the heartbeat of Native women's leadership. Skya reflects on the early days of her organization's work, when trust was the foundation of their success:
'All of my producers inspire me, but the ones who have been with us from the first few months of opening our doors have a special place in my heart. They really took a chance on us in the same way we took a chance on them. We were showing up for our community, doing our best, with so much still to learn, but they trusted their business and hard work to us to help them build their dreams and now we get to watch them succeed in all the best ways.'
The trust between Native women entrepreneurs and Native-led financial institutions is sacred. It reflects generations of relational accountability — where success isn't measured in dollars alone, but in the well-being of families, food systems, and future generations. Relationship-based lending, mentorship, and culturally rooted support are core to what makes Native CDFIs so successful in reaching and empowering women entrepreneurs.
Honoring Culture Through Finance
In many Native communities, finance is not just about money — it's about values. At Oweesta, we don't separate economic development from cultural revitalization. Our programs are intentionally designed to reflect Indigenous worldviews, where relationships come first, and wealth is shared.
In traditional economies, wealth wasn't accumulated — it was distributed. Prosperity was measured not by what one had, but by what one gave. These values remain alive today and form the backbone of our lending and financial education programs. 'We teach budgeting, yes—but we also teach the importance of kinship. We offer business development services—but we also remind entrepreneurs that success doesn't mean leaving your community behind. We embed language, ceremony, and traditional practices into our training models because when Native people see themselves reflected in financial systems, transformation happens,' Chrystel Cornelius, President & CEO, Oweesta Corporation.
The Numbers Tell a Story Too
Since our founding, Oweesta has facilitated the deployment of over $1.1 billion in capital to Native communities and provided culturally relevant financial education training to over 39,125 individuals. We partner closely with Native CDFIs on the ground, who directly lend to individuals. Since 2019, at least 1,012 of the clients served were Native women entrepreneurs—many of them taking bold first steps towards launching a business, purchasing a home, or building intergenerational wealth.
These numbers represent more than economic impact—they reflect the return of agency, voice, and vision to communities systematically excluded for centuries.
Conclusion
The leadership of women like Skya is rooted in a deep legacy of matriarchal strength. While she doesn't point to one single moment that shaped her leadership, she says her path was forged by watching and learning from generations of fearless women:
'So many values come to mind. Strong, consistent, fearless and powerful. The women
Skya Ducheneaux, Executive Director of Akiptan Oweesta
I like to surround myself with are the ones who are solution oriented, steadfast in their mission, full of integrity and unapologetic. They don't always necessarily think about glass ceilings or typical gender roles; they just get out there and do the damn thing because it's the right thing and needed done! That's what I want to be like and if I get to shatter a few glass ceilings while doing, it makes it even sweeter. I want to make the women in my life proud, and I want to be that example for my daughters. Here's to strong women; may we know them; may we be them and may we raise them!'
At Oweesta, we witness this strength every day. It lives in the mothers saving to buy a home, the grandmothers raising their grandchildren while starting a business, and the daughters who carry their ancestors' prayers into boardrooms and lending circles. But strength alone isn't enough —we must meet it with infrastructure, education, and access.
Globally, nearly one billion women remain unbanked. In Native communities, systemic exclusion from financial institutions has created a chasm that limits opportunity. That's why Indigenous-led solutions are so vital. We aren't here to replicate colonial systems—we're here to restore balance and build anew.
Financial equity isn't a handout. It's a return on centuries of stolen land, stolen labor, and stolen wealth. It's reparative, it's necessary, and it's already happening — because Native women are leading the way.
Closing the financial access gap for women, particularly in Native communities, is not just a matter of justice — it's an economic imperative. As these leaders show, empowering women means investing in community strength, resilience, and a future where everyone thrives.
At Oweesta, we don't just know strong women—we invest in them. And when we do, we invest in the future of our nations.