I
ndigenous futurism is gaining 
ground in Canada. Broadly 
defined as a future vision seen 
through an Indigenous lens, 
it represents a future where 
Indigenous Peoples can reclaim 
agency and cultural continuity and 
blend their ancient knowledge with 
advanced technology.
Indigenous artists and others 
involved in creative business initia-
tives are embracing this vision. 
Indigenous Business Report looks at 
how four such business owners are 
successfully embracing Indigenous 
futurism in their work.
IMMERSIVE APPROACH
Taylor McArthur is a digital artist from 
Pheasant Rump Nakota First Nation 
in Saskatchewan. Through her immer-
sive artworks, which encompass 3D 
animation and video game design, she 
regularly explores memory, time and 
futurity — all of which she says are an 
inherent part of who she is. 
“The knowledge and stories have 
been passed down through blood 
memory, so for me, I have always 
carried it through me," McArthur 
says. "It's been there in my dreams, 
my thoughts and how I have viewed 
the world long before there were any 
external influences."
McArthur’s installation The Sky 
Remembers engages with memory, 
time and futurity by carrying forward 
knowledge from the matriarchs in 
particular her family — her aunties, 
whose knowledge helped her under-
stand who Indigenous women were 
as they navigated a changing world.
For McArthur, Indigenous futurism 
lives as a continuation of ancestral 
systems that have always been there. 
Her journey into digital art began 
with a simple realization: she could 
use contemporary tools to transmit 
ancient knowledge in new ways. "Our 
ancestors, and we, are innovators. We 
just adapt the tools and technology to 
help with the transmission of our knowl-
edge," she says. "Once I was able to 
learn digital art making, I saw this as a 
door to create a world with our culture 
inside of it."
Digital spaces allow McArthur to 
create multisensory experiences that 
layer sound, vision and movement 
H ow  I n d i g e n o u s  e n t r e p r e n e u r s  a n d 
a r t i s t s  a r e  b u i l d i n g  f u tu r e s  w i t h 
a n c e s t r a l  s ys t e m s
By Bryan Hansen
INDIGENOUS 
FUTURISM 
AS LIVING 
PRACTICE
 TAYLOR MCARTHUR
46 A CCIB PUBLICATION  Winter 2026
INDIGENOUS FUTURISM

View this content as a flipbook by clicking here.