18 AUGUST 1, 2023 Smoke Signals Indian gaming revenue breaks records for 2022 NATIVE AMERICAN National Indian gaming revenue for 2022 is the highest in its gaming history. Seven of the National Indian Gaming Commission’s eight regions showed an increase from 2021, with an overall gain of $1.9 billion, which is 5 percent higher than the historic 2021 amount of $39 billion. This year's record-breaking revenue reflects the resiliency of many Tribal gaming operations, and how Tribal gaming continues to rebound and remain strong, according to the commission. “Tribal governments and the operations they license continue to explore new and innovative ways to expand and deliver world-class experiences to cultivate sustainable economies,” Commission Chairman E. Sequoyah Simermeyer stated in a press release. “Across Indian Country, Tribes pursue economic sustainability through gaming by relying on the robust regulatory reputation for which Indian gaming is well known, and made better when supported by efficient and effective measures.” Vice Chair Jeannie Hovland noted this year's numbers reflect Indian gaming geographic and financial diversity, with 55 percent of Tribal gam- ing facilities reporting less than $25 million in revenue, which is only 5 percent of the total. "We have cause to celebrate the opportunity successful Indian gaming operations afford Tribes to invest in the future and improve the quality of life for individual Native people, their families and their communities," Hovland said. Revenues are calculated from the independently audited financial state- ments of 519 gaming operations owned by 244 federally recognized Tribes. Indian gaming operations are located on Tribal land in 29 states. Includes information from a PR Newswire press release. WATCHLIST Watchlist: ‘A History of the Muckleshoot Canoe Journey’ (Editor’s note: It is estimated that there are approximately 149 billion videos on YouTube, and the number continues to grow. Grand Ronde Tribal member and Social Media/Digital Journalist Kamiah Koch sifts through those myriad videos twice a month to recommend a worthwhile Indigenous video to watch. Follow her bimonthly recommendations and enjoy!) By Kamiah Koch Social media/digital journalist While canoe families are underway on the annual canoe journey, the Muckleshoot Tribe posted a video to its YouTube channel explaining the history of the Muckleshoot Canoe Journey. Muckleshoot is the host Tribe for the 2023 canoe journey and canoes are expected to land on Alki beach in Seattle on Sunday, July 30. Executive Director of Culture and Heritage for the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe Walter Pacheco starts the video by explaining the origins of the canoe journey event. “The Paddle to Seattle was the first official canoe journey that was set up and there were Tribes from as far as Canada that came,” Pacheco says. “That was the start, the beginning of the annual canoe journey.” According to Pacheco, that first canoe journey in 1989 highlighted Tribal people’s desire for gathering and potlatches, as a way to re- connect to tradition and culture. “We had to get back to our spiritual ways and that really brought us closer to who we were as a people and where we needed to be,” Pacheco says. Annual powwows were a way of celebrating Native culture for Muckleshoot, but Pacheco says gathering on the water with other Tribal canoe families was where they found their songs and recon- nected with that spiritual strength. In a 2003 interview, a younger Pacheco was featured in another video discussing how the Muckleshoot Tribe acquired a canoe. He details the six months it took to find the funding for a canoe that was for sale in British Columbia. “We had that Coast Salish culture that we never practiced because our people were living in a society that didn’t accept that,” Pacheco say. “They were penalized for practicing their culture.” The video shows footage from the 1960s and 1970s Fish Wars where Native people were being pulled from canoes and detained. “We never forgot who we were,” Pacheco says. “We never gave up, Þ that was very important to us. We think of how much value it has in sustaining us.” You can watch the full video at www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bcsn- 7JLeg8E and read more about the 2023 Canoe Journey in the Aug. 15 edition of Smoke Signals. Health & Wellness Center hours The Health & Wellness Center has additional access for patients during holiday weeks on Thursday mornings. The clinic will be scheduling patients at 8 a.m. every Thursday preceding or following a holiday closure. Urgent care also will be available during this time. Tribal Council Elections 2023 Christopher G Mercier , Þ Þ Þ ( ) Dear Tribal Members, I’ve very speciÞc legislative goals to accomplish with a Þnal term. Þ Five Major Goals: Þ •Increase Available Services: Continue to build on our portfolio of tribal services and grants, like Healthy Eating, Fitness, Emergency and Housing. - Þ •Inform our Membership: Diversify our Tribal media beyond just print publications, increase the frequency of publications, and direct reporting from Council to the general membership. Annually declassify conÞdential documents/records/reports and make available to members. Þ •Rights of Members: Reform and amend our Constitution to increase the rights of General Council (Tribal members 18 and older), and enhance and make more feasible already existing rights. •Focus on Sustainability: Set up and protect real endowments, deÞne core services, and invest in sustainable projects and businesses. Instill sustainability as a government-wide policy. •Enrollment: Reverse adverse impacts of the 1999 amendment. No more split families, equality in enrollment requirements. Þ Websites: ) Þ Wordpress Blog www.grandrondepost.wordpress.com Þ YouTube Channel - www.youtube/user/cgmercier Þ SoundCloud ProÞle soundcloud.com/user-751710211 ( ) Paid political ad Þ -