Image provided by: Oregon Historical Society; Portland, OR
About Spilyay tymoo. (Warm Springs, Or.) 1976-current | View Entire Issue (March 13, 2008)
News from I nelien Country Page 10 Tribes challenge ruling over off-reservation casinos LAS VEGAS (AP)^—A ma jor policy change this year by the D epartm ent o f In terio r will slow the grow th , o f the multibillion-dollar Indian casino industry, which has gained con troversy for developments in communities far from reserva tion land. The change, made in a series of letters and a memo issued in early January, essentially rejected 22 applications for new off-res ervation casinos, by hinging their approval on a single criterion: the distance from the reserva tion. While the change was hailed by opponents of the sprawling business that raked in $25.1 bil lion in gambling revenues in 2006, many tribes attacked the ruling as unfair and unjust, rob bing them of what many con sider their only economic oppor tunity. “We were shocked by the lack of due process involved,” said Mark Van N orm an, executive director of the National Indian Gaming Association. “The De partment o f Interior created a new regulatory standard one day, didn’t notify anybody and ap plied it the next day.” The St. Regis Mohawks in upstate New York, one o f two tribes that sued the department, called the decision racist and paternalistic because it purported to look out for the best inter ests of the tribes by supporting the integrity of reservation life. “I t’s outrageous for us as Mohawk people to be told that we can’t sustain our community relations,”' said St. Regis Chief Lorraine White. White said male members of the tribe had for decades trav eled to faraway construction sites to support their families on the reservation in upstate New York. “W hat a bunch o f bulls— when you’re talking to the very people who »actually built New York City with their hands,” White said. When its development part ner, Empire Resorts Inc., aban doned it following the change, the St. Regis tribe dropped its suit and called on Congress to overturn the policy or have its application grandfathered in. Spilyay Tyrooo March 13, 2008 10% OFF Sen vena ßeatnal Ralph's Furniture & T.V. Longtime Miami Nation chief dies MIAMI, Okla. (AP)— Floyd Ernest Leonard, the longtime chief of the Miami Nation, died Saturday, tribal officials said. Leonard, 82, died in a Joplin, Mo., hospital following an unspeci fied illness. He spent 27. years as the Miami Nation’s chief. “He was a great man and a great chief,” said Tom Gamble, the tribe’s second chief. Leonard was born in Picher in 1925 and served in the U.S. Coast Guard during World War II. He began serving the Miami Nation in elected positions in 1953, and first became chief in 1974, serving eight years. He returned as the tribe’s chief in 1989 and served until his death. “I always fou n d C hief Leonard to be interested in In dian affairs,” said Wyandotte Nation Chief Leaford Bearskin. “He supported all programs, locally and nationally. ... He was a wonderful chief.” Leonard is survived by his wife of 61 years, Patricia. Funeral services are set for Tuesday at the Miami Nation cemetery. Border casinos especially profitable for tribes TULSA, Okla. (AP)— Casi nos operated by the sta te ’s American Indian tribes that are located near the state’s borders are proving especially profitable. State Treasurer Scott Meacham estimates that 25 per cent of total casino revenues in Oklahoma come from out-of-state pockets, particularly people from Texas, Kansas and Missouri who cross the border to gamble. “We think that number is a modest estimate,” he said. The Choctaw Nation, Kiowa Tribe, Chickasaw N ation, Comanche Nation, Cherokee Nation, Tonkawa Tribe and sev eral Ottawa County tribes are among those operating casinos located near a border. The only major highway border crossing w ithout a casino is Interstate 40 in w e ste rn O klah o m a, where the state borders Texas. The Tonkawa Tribe built its Native Lights Casino along U.S. Highway 77 near the Kansas border. The Choctaws has a ca- sino in Pocola, near the Arkan- sas state line, and the tribe spent $18 million to refurbish it. They also operate border-easnios m . Durartt and Grant. • Janie Dillard, the Choctaw Nation’s executive director o f gambling, said 68 percent of the Pocola casino’s customers come from out o f state. She said the tribe focuses its marketing efforts in western Arkansas communities including Fort Smith, Fayetteville and Van Buren. Two tribes located nearer to Texas, the Kiowas and the Comanches, operate casinos in Devol within walking distance of each other. Oscar Codopony, the Comanche Nation Gaming Com mission chairman, said gamblers from Texas routinely walk be tween the two facilities. “We watch the dollars, and we can see that the Red River site does outperform our Lawton facility,” Codopony said. According to the National Indian Gaming Commission, Oklahoma has about 94 Indian casinos. (541) 475-2578 NEXT TO BI-MART *** IN MADRAS WINTER BOOT BLOWOUT N O W TILL MARCH 15TH 40% W XNTEER H O T T R © N l - F 1O ~ Q *S A T 1 1 - 5 4 1 -4 7 5 -3 3 8 5 E m fe s o n / s Locally owned and operated since 1915 525 S.E. 5th Street Madras, OR 97741 OFF ALL INSTOCK WINTER BOOTS www.peficansshGes.com Thriftway Celebrate Frozen Food Month j * Kenmore Freezer and $100 frozen food Sign up as many times as you want, need not be present to win. Drawing to be held March 31
