"This thesis will examine Aboriginal Economic Development (AED) in two Cariboo-Chilcotin communities involved in forestry joint ventures. In particular, the thesis will reveal how each forestry joint venture (JV) keeps politics from over-running the business, and how each aboriginal community defines the success of their forestry JV. AED is different from mainstream economic development, in that it involves an aboriginal community/nation achieving self-reliance through business, while not compromising their traditional culture, values, or language.