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.
L
J