Posts tagged Native
Native American Gambling
Aug 15th
Gambling games are looked upon very differently from one culture to the next. In Protestant and Catholic cultures, gambling is seen as a sinful vice, associated with other illicit activities.
In Native American cultures, however, gambling is an ancient tradition associated with noble virtues such as intelligence, concentration, acuity, strategic thinking, leadership, resource management, discipline, spiritual development, and good sportsmanship.
It is then no wonder that a nation indigenous to the coast of northern California had a village in one part of their territory that was devoted to the art and science of traditional gambling games much like a college or seminary for gamblers. While not every NDN (sic) Nation set up such institutions, most had some sort of tradition for wagering bets on games of skill and games of chance.
Gambling is still a part of Native American traditional life. Celebrations and even sacred rituals such as healing ceremonies will often include gambling, after the prayers are done and the feast is shared.
Since tribally owned casinos provide massive economic stimuli for impoverished Native populations, challenging the rights of tribes to own and run their own casinos is also a way of keeping Native people in devastating poverty. An example of the difference between owning a casino and not owning one can be seen when comparing two bands of the same tribe. One band in Oklahoma, has no casino within their jurisdiction. The other band of the same tribe, in Kansas, has their own casino. Laws differ from state to state.
The band in Kansas used the revenues from the casino to build schools, buy a regulation school bus, and most importantly, to build a desperately needed health clinic. The Oklahoma band of the same tribe has none of these facilities because they lack the casino generated revenue necessary to build and maintain them, let alone staff them. Casino revenues also provide the capital loans for tribal members to start small businesses.
A series of court cases and legislative acts in the 1980’s set a precedent for Native gaming rights and regulation. These historic landmarks include: Seminole Tribe vs. Butterworth (1979), California vs. Cabazon Band (1987), and the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA) of 1988. However, these gains have been repeatedly challenged by the National Indian Gaming Commission (NIGC), in an ongoing campaign to weaken Native sovereignty and to confiscate or divert Native gaming revenues.
As on-line gambling websites redefine the concept of territory in cyberspace, Native American gaming rights and issues of sovereignty, freedom, and self determination are once again at “stake” (pun intended). Will you wager a bet on the future of Native American gambling, as it evolves with modern technology, and a global economy?
To read more about gambling games online please visit: http://www.game-bler.com
Game-Bler
The home of gambling games.
Gambling On Native American Indian Reservations
Feb 27th
It has long been known that Native American Indians were in America before settlers, but that did not prevent Native American Indians from losing the land that truly belonged to them. To prevent the extinction of America Indian tribes and cultures, the federal government created reservations.
Reservations are defined as land that is set aside by the federal government for a specific group of individuals. Indian reservations are the most well-known types of reservations in the world. Native American Indian reservations are located all across the United States.
Many Native American Indian reservations are secluded from other towns and cities. This has caused many Native American Indians to suffer financial hardships. Since reservations are secluded, many tourists or other travelers rarely passed through them. This made it difficult for a large number of businesses to operate on an Indian reservation; thus, having an effect on the unemployment rate.
After years are living on the verge of poverty, hope and financial success could be seen in the future. That hope came in the form of casinos. It is a known fact that Americans love to gamble. For once, Native American Indians could rely on Americans to generate jobs, income, and financial resources for all Indian reservations.
Native American Indians living on reservations are not ruled by state governments. Since casinos and gambling are illegal in most states, Native American Indians were still able to open and operate casinos. Since most states still don’t have any other legal casinos, a large number of Americans flock to gamble on Native American Indian reservations.
Casinos have been a large source of income for many Native American Indian reservations. In fact, many are so successful that they are able to benefit the community in a number of ways. Many reservations have taken a portion of their profits to remodel or update their casinos. Many Native American casinos are now known as resorts. Adding hotel rooms, spas, restaurants, and event centers have allowed Indian reservations to profit even more from their gambling casinos.
Updating a casino to bring in additional revenue is important, but what is even more important is what the rest of the money is being spent on. Most Native American Indian reservations use their profits to improve local school systems, housing communities, libraries, and other community facilities. In addition to reservations as a whole, gambling centers have also improved individuals on a personal and professional level.
Almost all of the casinos and other gaming centers open on Native American Indian reservations are successful, so successful that many employ hundreds of workers. Casinos have helped to reduce the number of Native American Indians who are unemployed on Indian reservations all across the country. In addition to hiring local reservation residents, many casinos must also employee other individuals. This is not only beneficial to a Native American Indian community, but to others as well.
American citizens and business developers are urging the federal government to legalize gambling in the United States. Gambling on Native American Indian reservations is popular, but many individuals have to travel hours just to reach one. It is unknown what the impact of legalized gambling would mean for Native American Indians. Until gambling laws changed, American Indians are benefiting from American’s and they are putting their profits to good use.
Edward Charkow is the administrator for American Indian History. For more information please visit: http://www.truth-is.info/native-american-indians/
