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About Spilyay tymoo. (Warm Springs, Or.) 1976-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 17, 2009)
r -• News from Infrian Country Recession, fakes, tough times for Indian jewelers By HEATHER CLARK Associated Press Writer GALLUP, N .M - Navajo sil versm ith Jackie Platero has been selling her family’s handm ade jew elry for 18 years, w ith the past two years, am ong the m ost trying. Platero and other jewelers and jewelry traders say the nation’s eco nom ic woes has hit them hard, as the cost o f silver, gold and pre cious stones rise and fewer cus tom ers buy pieces. I f that wasn’t enough, they say, they are increas ingly having to com pete against k n o c k -o ffs o f th eir jew elry — m uch m ade cheaply in Asia and Mexico. “I just told the kids that Christ m as this year is going to be a lot less than they usually get because the bills com e first,” said Platero, a m other o f 10 children w ho lives in th e N a v a jo c o m m u n ity o f T o’hajiilee about 40 miles w est o f A lbuquerque Platero said she and her hus band, also a jeweler, are thinking about taking o n second jobs, per haps at Wal-Mart, after the hoE- days. N o one really knows how big th e In d ia n jew elry m a rk e t is. M eridith Stanton, executive direc to r o f the Interior D epartm ent’s Indian A rts and Crafts Board, in a rough estimate says it could gen erate as m uch as $750 milEon an nually. S tan to n said she’s seen evi dence that the m arket for Indian jewelry has been h u rt by the re c e s s io n . L o n g tim e a rts a n d c ra fts events in CaEfornia, C onnecticut an d N e w M exico have closed. M eanwhile, sm aller crow ds are attending m any events that have rem ained open. Artisans have had to downsize their works so custom ers can af ford them . “This period o f time is a rough tim e for anyone. A ny jeweler, any artist, is trying to adjust to leaner times,” she said. F o r top jewelers Eke A1 Joe o f Dilkon, Ariz., the recession m eans Page 9 Spilyay Tym oo December 17, 2 0 0 9 Slumping economy hits the Indian casino industry scaling dow n to make pieces m ore affordable, b u t Joe said the best jewelry is still in dem and. H e seEs pieces directly to gaEeries in Mas sachusetts, W ashington, D.C., Al buquerque and Santa F e “It’s m ore like a survival o f the fittest that’s going o n right now,” he said. In GaEup, there’s a saying -- perhaps exaggerated — th at 80 percent o f the w orld’s Am erican Indian jewehy com es through the w e s te rn N e w M ex ico h illto p town. W hatever the figure, there’s no disputing that local traders w ho seE jewelry and o ther crafts, such as colorful w ool rugs and pottery m ade by m em bers o f the nearby Navajo, H opi, A com a and Z uni tribes, also feel the pinch. T raders say th eir w holesale business, w hich in the past has com e fro m the E a st and W est coasts and Texas, has faEen be tween 25 and 40 percent this year. “We don’t have the num bers that we used to have. T h at’s be cause their business is down,” said BiE Richardson, the 91-year-old ow ner o f R ichardson’s Trading Co., which sits am ong a line o f jewelry stores on historic Route 66. “T hey don’t need this stuff. W hat do you need this stu ff for? Y ou can’t eat i t ” EUis T anner, w h o fo u n d e d EEis T anner Trading Co. in GaEup in 1967, said his wholesale busi ness w ith traders in the E ast and M idwest has faEen by 80 p e rce n t B ut trading w ith Japan and E u rope has helped pro p up his busi- ness,.gtving his store an overaE 25 percent decline in its wholesale accounts. “T h e last six m onths, it reaEy started show ing up,” T anner said. Stanton said one effect o f the eco n o m ic d o w n tu rn has b e en positive for the Indian A rts and Crafts Board: M ore people are reporting complaints about fakes, m ade in sweatshops in the U.S. or im ported from China, T hailand an d o th e r A sian countries and M exico a n d being sold as h a n d m ade In d ian jewelry. By SUDHIN THANAWALA c asin o se c to r, w h e re rev en u e d ro p p e d ab o u t 7 p e rce n t to $30 b illio n in 2008, a c c o rd in g to M eister’s re p o rt. E x p e rts say In d ia n casinos have the advantage o f being dis p ersed across th e nation, m ak ing th em m o re easEy accessible th an casinos in L as Vegas and Associated Press Writer SA N F R A N C IS C O - T h e econom ic d o w n tu rn has slowed the g ro w th o f In d ian gam ing in A m erica b u t the in d u stry is far ing b e tte r th a n traditional casi nos, a re p o rt released T hursday shows. Revenues clim bed by 1.5 per c e n t last year —the sm allest in crease since a federal law regu lating the industry w as passed in 1988, according to the Indian G a m in g I n d u s tr y R e p o r t by e co n o m ist A lan M eister. T h a t w as d o w n fro m a grow th rate o f 5 percent in 2007 a n d an average rate o f a b o u t 15 p e r c e n t f r o m 2001 th r o u g h 2006. T h e $26.8 b illio n in d u stry A tlantic City. “In d ian gam ing is in p eo p le’s b a c k y a r d s ,” s a id D a v id Schw artz, d irec to r o f the C en te r fo r G am in g R esearch at the U niversity o f N evada, Las Ve gas. “A p e rso n fro m S o uthern CaEfornia is n o t g oing to Vegas, b u t to a CaEfornia In d ian casino w here they can sp en d a couple o f hours. T h a t’s w h at you’re see ing.” D esp ite declines in the n u m b e r o f visitors a n d th e a m o u n t o f m o n ey they sp e n t in som e o u tp e rfo rm e d th e com m ercial lo c a tio n s , th e i n d u s tr y as a w h o le w as h e lp e d by e x p a n sio n s, n e w c a s in o s a n d n e w gam es, M eister said. “ S o m e s ta te s w e re d o w n whEe o th ers w ere up,” he said during a telephone interview. I n 2008, tribes o p e rated 442 casinos in 28 states, up from 429 th e previous year. M u c h o f th e re v e n u e in crease cam e fro m O k la h o m a , w hich added nine new gam bling haEs. T h a t sta te ’s $2.9 bE Eon in revenue aUowed it to surpass C onnecticut to becom e the sec o n d largest In d ian gam ing state b eh in d CaEfornia. A n o th e r state posting signifi c a n t re v e n u e g ro w th w as Florida, w here the re p o rt said th e Sem inole T ribe add ed dif ferent m achines and table gam es such as blackjack to its existing casinos. CaEfornia was am o n g a b o u t nine states, including C on n ecti cut and M innesota, th a t saw rev enues faE although it continued to lead the nation in Indian gam in g revenue a t $7.3 biEion. CaE fornia experienced a decline o f nearly 6 p e rce n t fro m $7.8 bE Eon in 2007. “ I t ’s definitely b e en a chal le n g in g e n v ir o n m e n t ,” sa id D avid G utierrez, a spokesm an f o r R e d H a w k C a s in o in PlacervEle, CaEf., w hich o pened last year. “W e’re n ear Sacram ento, so w e have a lo t o f p e o p le w ith g overnm ent jobs w h o have been furloughed.” G a m b le rs are still c o m in g th ro u g h th e doors, b u t sp e n d ing less, h e said. Ohioan seeks return o f beloved artifact from historical society C O L U M B U S, O h io - E d w ard L ow knew he w asn’t su p p o se d to play there, high up on a sa n d y h ill in P a rk e rs b u rg , W Va., overlooking the stiver rib b o n o f th e O h io River. B u t the 12-year-old an d tw o friends, a rm e d w ith boyish cu riosity and a W orld W ar II trench shovel, h a d sneaked away fro m h o m e to explore. W hile digging a foxhole to play soldier, L ow h it som ething hard a bout 15 inches deep in the soil. T h e th in piece o f sa n d s to n e , a b o u t 5 in c h e s by 3 inches, was engraved w ith I n dian m arkings o f h u m an faces an d birds. L o w d id n ’t kn o w th e n th a t h e ’d fo u n d a valuable piece o f prehistory: an E arly W oodland A dena cultural artifact created 400 years o r m o re b e fo re th e b irth o f Jesus. Its value a t auc tio n has b e en estim ated at up to $200,000. T o Low, it was simply his “I n dian rock.” F o r years, he k e p t it w ra p p ed in a new sp ap er in his sock draw er a t hom e, bringing it o u t o ccasio n ally fo r show - and-teE a t sc h o o l o r to show coEeagues at w ork. N o w 76 an d in p o o r health, L ow finds h im self in a b itte r le gal fight w ith the O h io H isto ri cal Society. E arE er this year, he filed su it in F ra n k lin C o u n ty C o m m o n Pleas C ourt. L ow said he len t th e artifact to th e historical society in 1971 fo r research an d display; the so ciety c o n te n d s h e gave it to the state, an d so refuses to re tu rn it. “I feel like I have d o n e n o th ing w ro n g and they’re flat-o u t stealing,” L o w said. H isto ric a l so c iety officials w ould n o t c o m m e n t o n the dis pute. T h ey deferred to a state m e n t by attorneys th a t said, in p art, th a t L o w d o n a te d th e tab let in 1971, a fact n o te d in tw o issues o f E choes, a society p u b - Ecation. “A l t h o u g h M r. L o w h a s know n since 1971 th a t th e So ciety considered th e tablet to be a gift, h e d id n o t in fo rm th e Society th a t he considered the tr a n s f e r o f th e ta b le t a lo a n ra th e r th a n a gift until D e ce m b e r 2007,” th e statem en t said. “T h e Society has p ro tec te d and preserv ed this valuable ar tifact since 1971. I t is vigorously defending the suit filed by Mr. L ow so th a t th e p e o p le fro m O h io , o th e r sta te s a n d o th e r natio n s m ay continue to enjoy a n d appreciate th e tablet.” T h e saga began in M ay 1971 w h e n Low, w h o h a d m oved to O hio, read a story in T h e C o lu m b u s D is p a tc h about R aym ond Baby, th en c u rato r o f archaeology at the society. L ow subsequently to o k the tablet and w e n t to see Baby. A t Baby’s re quest, L ow left th e tablet w ith h im fo r w h a t w as su p p o sed to b e a w eek to 10 days to research its origin. L ow d id n ’t h e ar fro m Baby fo r th ree m onths. W h en Baby finaEy caEed in S eptem ber, he o ffered to buy th e tablet. L ow refused, b u t agreed to aEow the society to keep it fo r pubE c dis- play fo r an indefinite period. In retu rn , L o w said, he was offered and accepted a Efetime m em ber ship in the society. A t n o p o in t, L ow says, did he sign an agreem ent to seE o r give the tablet to the historical soci ety. H e always co n sid ered it a loan. “I never in tended fo r th em to keep it,” h e said. “I to ld th em it’s n o t fo r sale.” L ow said the artifact has great sentim ental value fo r him , n o t only because h e fo u n d it as a chEd, b u t also because h e has A m erican In d ia n ancestors w h o could be related to the ancient A d e n a p e o p le w h o m ad e th e carving. “We trea t d o n atio n s as p e r m a n e n t a n d n o t s u b je c t fo changes in attitude o n th e p a rt o f th e individual donors,” the late W ilEam K . Laidlaw Jr., ex ecutive director, said in a letter to Low. “W e have appE ed this p rin c ip le in c o n s id e ra tio n o f y o u r req u est, an d w e are p re p a red to d efen d o u r title to the A d e n a tablet.” Warm Springs Police Department Idaho’s Nez Perce ship coho eggs to Oregon LA PW A I, Id a h o (AP) - T h e N e z P erce T ribe in n o rth cen tral Id a h o expects to ship 700,000 b rig h t orange Clearw ater River c o h o s a lm o n eg g s f r o m th e D w o rsh ak N ational Fish H a tch ery to th e E agle C reek N ational F ish H atchery in E stacada, O re., as p a rt o f efforts to rebuEd e n dangered spaw ning runs. T h is is th e first tim e in 15 years th a t th e N ez Perce T ribe is re tu rn in g c o h o eggs fro m the C learw ater R iver to th e low er C o lu m b ia R iver as p a r t o f its C lea rw a te r C o h o R e sto ra tio n Project. Indian casino lets booze flow on gambling floor Monthly Crime Statistics for November,2009 W.S.P.D Calls fo r Service, Police R eports and Response Tim e S ta tistics CATEGORY Events Police Reports Priority One Calls Average Response time(Priority One) Average Response time(Priority Two) Assault Assault & Battery Forgery/Fraud Theft 4 min. Malicious Mischief Weapons Violations Sex Offenses W.S.P.D A rrested Persons N um ber o f Native A du lts & Juveniles NDDHD CATEGORY Native Adults Native Juveniles TOTALS 173 21 194 W.S.P.D. A rrested Persons N um ber (N a tive & N on-N ative A d u lts) CATEGORY whEe they gamble. H a r r a h ’s C herokee C asino is h ir i n g m ore bartenders and buy in g m o re eq uipm ent an d alco hol. T h e casino g eneral m a n ager, D a ro ld L ondo, says alco TOTALS T h e E astern B and o f C hero kee v o ted in Ju n e to aEow alco h o l sales in the 11-year-old ca s in o in th e N o r t h C a r o lin a Elder/Adult Abuse 1392 221 271 5 min. C H E R O K E E , N.C. (AP) - A casino o n a N o rth Carolina In d ia n r e s e rv a tio n w ill s o o n start serving alcohol to p atro n s ho l could b e served o n th e gam b lin g flo o r as early as this week. W.S.P.D U n iform Crime R eport o th e r th a n Part 1 Crim e S tatistics Native Non-Native 164 9 173 W.S.P.D Telephone Calls, Calls fo r 9 -1 -1 and A larm C alls/S ig na ls Received a t Dispatch NDDHD (Paraphernalia) DUII Liquor Violations Intoxicated/Detox Disorderly Conduct Child Abuse Runaway (persons under 18) Restraining Order Violations Domestic Violence Fights in progress CATEGORY Disturbance Number of Telephone Calls Received Reckless Drivers Number of 9-1-1 Calls Received Number of Alarm signals Received 2431 i Shots Fired Child Neglect 158 Attempt/ Suicide Harassment/Stalking 22 Totals 0 3 13 3 12 17 6 2 1 1 17 1 86 13 5 4 0 8 13 4 29 10 15 6 8 277 W.S.P.D T ra ffic A ccidents, C ita tio n s Traffic Stops Non-Injury Accident Injury Accident Fatality Accident Speeding Seat Belts Defective Equipment Failure to maintian lane Operators license required 260 0 8 0 3 I 2 • * ? 6 5 W.S.P.D U n iform Crim e R eport P art 1 Crim e S ta tis tic s - C alendar Year CATEGORY Murder Manslaughter Assault resulting in serious bodily injury Assault with a dangerous weapon Rape Sex Abuse o f a minor Robbery Arson Theft > $1000 HP ( Felon in Possession o f Fire Arml Totals 0 0 0? 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 3 m ountains. 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