Navajo Nation Takes The Plunge

It finally is happening. The once-reluctant Navajo Nation is finally joining the ranks of the other 225 tribes in America and will open their first casino in October. After watching efforts to open a casino fail twice on reservation-wide ballots, the lure of the easy casino money became too great to pass up again.

Their first casino, the $22 million Fire Rock Casino, will be located at the Church Rock Chapter east of Gallup, NM. The new casino will sport 300 slot machines, a bingo hall and other table games. The Tribe projects an income of $32 million in the first year.

Opening just one casino will never do for the largest Indian tribe in America. With a population of more than 200,000, the tribe needs a lot of gaming revenues to make the business venture worthwhile. They have five more casinos on the drawing boards; one near Farmington, NM and the others in Arizona.

Unemployment and poverty have become a way of life on this 25,000 sq. miles Indian reservation. The tribal leadership has watched with extreme patience the financial boom brought to other impoverished tribes by casinos. Although there are still many members of the tribe that object to the tribe's move into Indian gaming, the handwriting has been on the wall for too many years and the continued reluctance of the federal government to live up to its financial obligations to the tribe, most Navajo leaders felt the time had come to set aside the concerns of many tribal members and to take the plunge.

The optimism of the tribal government is on display on billboards posted along I-40 as it winds past Gallup. "Your odds are about to change," read the signs and they signify that hope is still eternal to the poorest of the poor.

Navajo Nation President Joe Shirley Jr. is absolutely ecstatic. For years he has struggled, along with his council, fighting the debilitating poverty and unemployment that has prevented the tribe from moving forward. He calls the 50 percent unemployment on the reservation "atrocious." Along with the unemployment, the infrastructure of the Nation has gradually deteriorated over the years. "I believe that this casino will bring the Navajo Nation back to the independence it once had and I think that most of us are tired of depending so much on the federal government," Shirley said.

Although the people of the Navajo Nation voted against casinos in 1994 and 1997, the Council approved limited gambling in 2005 and canceled another referendum on gaming at the same time.

President Shirley campaigned for re-election with the promise that he would bring legalized gaming to the reservation. His election victories in 2002 and 2006 convinced him that the people were also ready for the change.

According to the National Indian Gaming Commission there are now 423 Indian gaming casinos operated by 225 tribes in 28 states. The latest report by the commission shows that Indian gaming had revenues of $26 billion in 2007. It showed a growth of 5 percent over the revenues produced in 2006. Nevada casinos brought in $12.85 billion.

There are outside factors that have caused a definite drop off in the gaming revenues of some tribes. The high cost of gasoline and the slowdown in the economy is starting to have an impact on gaming revenues. More people are reluctant to drive long distances to gamble, but instead are staying closer to home. The mortgage crisis has also contributed to the small decline.

According to the Albuquerque Journal, New Mexico's tribally owned casinos reported a combined net win of $700,330,214 in 2007 ¬- a 7.5 percent increase over 2006.

The 5 percent overall increases in Indian gaming revenues nationally mark the continuation of the annual growth of Indian casinos. Phil Hogan, Chairman of the National Indian Gaming Commission and an enrolled member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, said, "The continued growth is significant considering recent economic struggles throughout the country. Indian gaming continues to be an important factor in local Indian economies."

The people of the Navajo Nation deliberated for 20 years before climbing aboard the gaming bandwagon. It is a token of their resilience and a reflection upon the foot dragging of the United States government that has pushed the largest Indian nation in America to reluctantly step into the world of Indian gaming.

(Tim Giago, an Oglala Lakota, was born, raised and educated on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. He was the founder and first president of the Native American Journalists Association and the founder and publisher of Indian Country Today, Lakota Times, and the Dakota/Lakota Journal. He can be reached at [e-mail])

Comments

[Wilburrr]

Hopefully the Navajo Nation will disperse the income equitably and avoid the clan rivalries that have been a cause for concern in past elections.

I encourage the Navajo Nation to use the revenues enjoyed by these coming casinos in ways similar to those employed by the Fort McDowell reservation outside of Phoenix/Scottsdale. New healthcare facilities, scholarships, improved schools, and development of diversified income streams such as low water use farming are placing the people of that reservation in a position to permanently enjoy the fruits of their windfall.

Not all reservation casinos appear to hire from within their reservations. In addition to the gaming income, I would like to see a Navajo casino that employs Navajos and also works to strengthen reservation commerce. This type of facility, for example, could work to increase the income of reservation artists by reducing the 'middle man.' Increased compensation for weaving could extend and expand the life of that fabulous art form.

[JScott]

Let's hope they get it right and not end up like the ones in So. Calif getting too greedy and kicking members out of the tribe (esp. the ones that fought to get gaming). And putting casinos in Kayenta AZ and near Page AZ would seem appropriate-there is already infrastructure there.

[Podcast]

Trueheart: There are plenty of Native professionals out there fighting for the rights of the Indian people. Ernie Stevens, director of the National Indian Gaming Association, Mario Gonzalez, attorney for the Oglala Sioux Tribe, Wilma Mankiller, former Chief of the Cherokee Nation, Cecilia Fire Thunder, strong advocate for the rights of Indian women, Winona LaDuke, environmentalist, Doris Giago, associate professor of Journalism at South Dakota State University, Liz Gray, Publisher of the Native American Times, John Echo Hawk, director of the Native American Rights Fund and the list goes on. There are now 36 colleges on Indian reservations that are controlled by the tribe.

[DMcD]

As long as we're on the subject of improving the lives of the Navajo and with Huffpo being primarily a political forum , I'd like to bring up the subject of John McCain, as it relates to the Navajo.

Tip to Obama supporters; check out www.cain2008.org among others forums, to get an idea of just 'who' John McCain really is ------- spearheading (for Kerr McGee among others) the forced relocations of the Navajo (and Hopi's) while their tribal lands are pillaged for uranium and coal --- having to truck-in water because their watersheds are contaminated with multitudes of unchecked and irradiated mine tailings. Yah; he's a real nice guy alright --------------- ask the Navajo and Hopi -------- they hold him in the same regard as they do for Kit Carson. Don't take my word for it , ask the Navajo (and Hopi).

[Rjchinook]

Thanks for the info re: McCain I'll pass it on! Believe it or not my Great Great Grandfather Billy Chinook, who was my tribe's second treaty signer was an Indian Scout for Kit Carson.
Proud Mama for Obama!

[DMcD]

While touring the many beautiful wonders of the Navajo reservation a few years ago, I was struck by the readily evident adject poverty that afflicts so many in this proud tribe. In Chinley (near Canyon de Chelley) I saw bulletproof glass on a fast food drive-up window --- that says a lot in itself. Due to the remoteness of this locale, I surmize that the robbers are likely, fellow Havajo's. I was struck by the readily apparent 'sour' looks on most of the natives faces (which you're not supposed to look at -- by custom --odd) ----- they don't appear to be enjoying life, as they should.

Instead of relying on a meager income from selling "genuine" Indian jewelry (that strangely all looks alike -- Taiwan?) at the numerous roadside stands and the like, they could do sooo much better with some good management, given their abundance of natures wonders. I'm not talking 'exploitation', I'm talking enriching themselves by "sharing" while 'preserving', their very interesting heritage and environment. I see they've made a start at this by constructing the new 90 room hotel at the entrance to Monument Valley ---- these casinos will enable them to finance other improvements that hopefully, will re-set their course in history and enable them to have a better quality of life (incl. treating alcoholism etc.) , even if gambling goes out of style latter on. With some wise investment , they could become a powerhouse.

[Rjchinook]

As a tribal member of tribe in Oregon, I have personally witnessed the good & bad of casinos. I currently work in social services for one the wealthiest Washington tribes. We have survived years of intergenerational trauma and oppression, racism and substance abuse, disease, the highest youth suicidal rates and loss of traditions. One out of three Native American women are victims of sexual assault and violence and the perpetrators of these assaults are primarily by non-natives. Profits from casinos has allowed most tribes to invest in programs and services that help their tribal members to overcome the generational affects from the boarding school era, but this type of healing does not come overnight. They also invest in helping to save salmon populations, wildlife and improvements of our ecosystems. Mistakes have and will continue to be made, along with greed and other poor decisions however, we're survivors and I believe if the Native Americans can heal our whole country can heal as a nation. Our ancestors signed the treaties because they did not think of themselves they thought of seven generations ahead.

[Trueheart]

Why do Native Americans make such lousy deals with the US Government?
They're not stupid, but they sure don't know how to cut a good deal with people who speak with forked tongues. So the Navajo have caved in after 20 years. Well, too bad their timing is so off. Now they will invest a lot of money and hire a lot of experts to advise them, and the whole enterprise will fizzle. Who is going to gamble during a depression? The Penobscot here in Maine have been trying casino proposals, and they are structured so badly that even a layman can see the profit being sucked out by the "management company from New Jersey"(give me a break), with little return to the tribal nation.

I think the tribal nations should form a huge federation and overwhelm the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Load it with Native Americans who have new ideas about education, economic independence and building pride among their people. Throw the bums out. Become political activists and make audacious change happen for you, not to you. Act fast because 2012 is only 4 years away.

[castlerider]

It's the US government that has so often never held up their end of the deal... And you ask why they were so foolish even make the deal? Probably the need for self preservation, in most cases.

[Trueheart]

I asked why they continue to make deals that work against their interests. It's understood that the Bureau of Indian Affairs has been screwing the First People for years, and that the US Government has not honored treaties with their nations. But this is 2008, and there are plenty Native American professionals who can fight for tribal interests and stand up to corruption. Where are they? And is anyone so naive as to think that a gambling casino can be run anywhere in this country without having to interface with organized crime? And is anyone so naive as to think that it is possible to get a fair deal when dealing with organized crime?

[Idytme]

I'm not a gambler, but I have voted for every single Native American gambling initiative since they came out. I think its about time that NA's take a bunch of the white man's money. I hope you all make a mint.

[larry278]

With gasoline becoming unaffordable, starting casinos or Willie Pilgrim's safari scheme might not fly. Driving to & through Navajo land may be too expensive to draw visitors to remote Navajo land.

[WilliePilgrim]

I'n not gambler so I don't know what to think. I've been on the Navajo Reservation and a Casino wouldn't attract me. But there is something that would: the opportunity to see and experience a rewilded ecosystem of the old days. I'd pay good money to take part in a hunt, to ride a horse or lay in wait and join in the ancient practice of interacting with the herds as they are harvested for food. Taking a jeep up a river to see a peublo like Canyon DeChelly is ok but it comes across as just a way to shake money off of tourists. Wilderness devotees pay big money to safari..both with cameras or guns and big reservations, managed for it, could offer something not available elsewhere in the world, one even more instinctively satisfying than gambling.
Not to kill the animal for trophy but to go out in a hunting party and partake in the activity that imbues primitive hunting with meaning. Restore the old ways. Offer ways that reward those who practice them.They're not inconsistent with all perceptions of wilderness. Skills needed in ranching are essential for populations of bison, pronghorn, elk that are there now, and one day elephants, zebras and cheetahs and in a restored pleistocene landscape. There's a legacy that the Indians can exercise and profit from long term and in ways more beneficial than just cash.
Time to think outside of the box and peer back to where it once was.