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About Spilyay tymoo. (Warm Springs, Or.) 1976-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 20, 2008)
News from I net ¡an Country Pgge 8 Spilyay Tymoo November 20, 2 0 0 8 Longtime gaming holdout, Navajos open first casino FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) - Long a behind-the-scenes player in the gaming industry, the N a vajo N ation is now set to open its first casino in the hopes slot machines, poker and bingo will bring in m uch-needed revenue to th e trib e an d jo b s to its people. T he doors to the Fire Rock C asino, ju st east o f G allup, N.M., will open to the public on Wednesday. Set against the back drop o f red rock formations, the casino represents new territory for the Navajo N ation, which, only slowly followed the path trod by so many other Am eri can Indian tribes. Navajos twice voted against legalizing gambling on the res ervation, in 1994 and 1997, over concerns if Would bring in creased social ills and drain the pockets o f im poverished N a vajos, before it was approved. Billboards along Interstate 40 in w estern N ew Mexico de clare, “your odds are about to change.” “W e're ju st barely getting started, b u t I sense that a lot o f tribes are afraid o f Navajos getting into gaming, being as large as we are,” said Navajo Vice President B en Shelly. The casino is expected to gen erate $32 million in annual rev enue fo r th e N avajo N atio n , about a fifth o f the annual tribal budget, w hich d o esn 't include federal money. In 2006, gaming brought in m ore than $25 billion to the 225 tribes that have casino or bingo operations in 28 states, according to the N ational Indian Gam ing Association. “Some people like it because it's going to be a source o f em ploym ent and revenue for the tribe,” said H arry Walters, a N a vajo historian and cultural an th ro p o lo g ist. “ O n th e o th e r h an d , it's also ad dicting; th e Cole, R-Okla., a m em ber o f the C hickasaw N a tio n o f O kla homa. “ I am d eep ly c o n c e rn e d about the N IG C 's ongoing re liance on flawed and incom plete data to justify irrespon sible and unnecessary regula tions on Indian tribes,” Cole told the Tulsa World's Washing- ton bureau. “I look forw ard to a new com m ission being appointed and I sincerely hope they do not exhibit the same hostility to wards the Indian gaming indus try that is the legacy o f the cur rent commission.” Ï tural resonance for N avajos, w hose oral tradition includes stories warning about the dan gers o f overindulging in gam bling. Many feature a character know n simply as T he Gambler, w hose skill wins him nearly ev erything in th e universe b u t nearly costs him his life. It's a familiar story through out the H opi and Zum reserva tions as well, said Steve Peretti, an addictions counselor in Zum, N.M., “that people w ho gamble are going to lose.” But for a reservation plagued by poverty and an unem ploy m ent rate that hovers around 50 percent, tribal leaders are look ing to casinos as an opportunity to spur economic developm ent o n th e v ast rese rv a tio n th a t stretch e s in to N ew M exico, U tah and Arizona. In anticipation o f casinos, the tribe had a feasibility study done in 2005 to identify prim e locations. A gaming enterprise was set up to oversee the devel opm ent o f casinos, tribal law makers discussed how revenues would be shared w ith host com m unities, and com pacts w ere signed w ith Arizona and N ew Mexico. Nicky’s Place Lawmakers lament new gaming regulations TULSA, Okla. £AP) -ty e v y federal regulations on electronic b in g o g am es w ill c o s t O klahom a's tribal casinos mil; lions o f dollars m o re th an a flaw ed eco n o m ic study p re dicted, the head o f the O kla hom a Indian G am ing Associa tion said. O IG A C h a irm a n D av id Qualls said the regulations were a last-ditch effort by a lame-duck N ational Indian G am ing Com mission to act on so-called Class II gaming without congressional oversight. T he gam ing com m ission's regulations also drew stro n g criticism from US. Rep. Tom people are going to be losing money.” Low-stakes gambling has al ways been a part o f American Indian culture. F or the Navajo, that takes shape in card games, dice games or the shoe game. According to Navajo lore, a win tertime dispute between daytime and nighttim e animals culm i nated w ith the shoe game that w as p la y e d to d e te rm in e w hether hum ans would live in darkness or in light. Tribal mem bers play the game during the w inter m onths, w ith some bet ting on the side. Gam bling also has deep cul Let Nicky's Place help you stretch your clothing budget. We are moving to: 154 SW 5th St. Next to Opal Day Spa We will open at this location Monday, November 24 We will be having a BIG SALE the day a fte r THANKSGIVING with prices 25% to 50 % OFF Open: Mon-Sat 10 a.m. -6 p.m. Sun 1p.m. -4 p.m. Come see us fo r your clothing needs. 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