Today, the word economy is often associated with money and the management of resources. In pre-contact First Nations contexts, economy did not involve money as we understand it today; instead, it focused on acquiring and managing the resources needed to live and thrive. Resources were shared within the community, and surplus was traded for goods and foods not readily available in the territory.  

In a well resourced and deeply culturally rooted society there is time for both work and leisure, leading to highly sophisticated cultural artistic expression.