Orijinative founder

My spirit name is Wasa Nabin Nini (the man who sees very far straight ahead); on official documents, my name is Jacob Taylor, but to most people, I am simply called Jake.

I am a band member of Curve Lake First Nation (Oshkigmong), reserve 35 to the federal government, the home base for one of the six great Mississauga Anishinaabe Nations which belong to the Anishinabek Nation and the Three Fires Confederacy. I am an Otter Clan member of the Mississauga Nation, holding traditional responsibilities for health and education.

My university degrees have aligned with my traditional duties. First, I studied Aboriginal Health Policy as an undergraduate, and then First Nation Policy Leadership for my graduate degree in education. Both programs were offered in a cohort model designed for Indigenous People at Western University.

Shortly after graduating, I lead a consulting firm for business development on-reserve in two areas, cannabis and drone technology; we also played a major role in the development of the world’s largest Indigenous business incubator.

Currently, I am a student at the University of North Dakota in the inaugural cohort of the first Indigenous Health Science Ph.D. My strong commitment to Indigenous Health was recognized by my alma mater in January of 2021: as I was awarded Western’s Faculty of Health Sciences Young Alumni Award for my professional representation of the faculty ideals in the field.

Jacob Taylor,
Mississauga Anishinaabe Scholar & Entrepreneur