Pride and Prejudice - New England Tribal Gaming

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Indigenous People’s Day inspired this post. We’ve seen tribal success stories in New England with Connecticut’s Mohegan and Mashantucket Pequots tribes. On the other hand, many Native Americans still struggle to keep their tribes afloat. Some have had recognition and land trusts taken away in New England. So let’s look at Pride and Prejudice – New England Tribal Gaming.

Pride and Prejudice of New England Tribal Gaming — Chief Massasoit, Mashpee Wampanoags, negotiated a peace agreement with the Pilgrims of Plymouth in 1621.

The Mashpee Wampanoags – “Not Real Indians?”

The Mashpee Wampanoags won federal recognition in 2007, allowing the Interior Secretary to grant them a reservation.

In contrast to the warm and fuzzy story of the first Thanksgiving, the government has since been trying to take away their reservation hundreds of years later.

Lawsuits claimed it was wrong to take Mashpee’s land into trust. Why? Because the Mashpee Wampanoags” did not fit the definition of Indian.” The same Native American Tribe that is famous for the first Thanksgiving.

The Narragansetts of Rhode Island

In 2008, a similar reaction occurred to the Narragansetts. The tribe’s ancestors lived in Rhode Island for more than 3,000 years. It has about 2,400 enrolled members. In 2008, they received 31 acres in trust.

Then-Governor Donald L. Carcieri sued the Department of Interior because they didn’t have the authority to do so. A possible Narragansett casino was Carcieri’s primary concern, which he strongly disapproved of.

Double Standards – Pride and Prejudice of New England Tribal Gaming

The Mashantucket Pequots and Mohegan Tribes are federally recognized. However, other Connecticut tribes can’t say the same. In 2015, the Bureau of Indian Affairs ruled that other tribes could not “re-petition” to be federally recognized.

Connecticut officials believed that the previously proposed ruling was too threatening for Connecticut citizens. Under those circumstances, allowing “re-petition” would put thousands of property owners at risk. In addition, it would have ensured the recognition of three other tribes. These tribes included the Eastern Pequot, the Golden Hill Paugussett Nation, and the Schaghticoke Tribal Nation.

But wasn’t that land taken from those tribes over three hundred years ago in the first place?

Federally Recognized Tribes in New England

Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians
Narragansett Indian Tribe
Passamaquoddy Tribe of Indians – Indian Township Reservation
Passamaquoddy Tribe of Indians – Pleasant Point Reservation
Penobscot Indian Nation
Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation
Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah)
Aroostook Band of Micmacs
Mohegan Tribe
Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe

15 New England tribes remain not federally recognized.

How Did This All Come About?

In 1830, the Indian Removal Act allowed the government to give Indians land west of the Mississippi. It was in exchange for the land (ancestral reservations) the government had already taken away.
Tribes such as the Choctaw, Chickasaw, Cherokees, and Creeks were marched westward on foot with little or no food and supplies.
In 1851, Congress passed the Indian Appropriations Act. As a result, they created the Indian reservation system. It provided funds to move Indian tribes onto farming reservations. But, unbelievably, Indians could not leave reservations without permission.

When Did Conditions Improve?

In 1934, the Indian Reorganization Act intended to restore Indian culture and return surplus land to tribes. Modern Indian reservations still exist across the United States. These lands fall under the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) umbrella. Consequently, the tribes on each reservation are sovereign nations and not subject to federal laws.

Unfortunately, when the land is taken out of trust, the Tribes lose their sovereignty. The tribe becomes subject to state and local laws and taxes. The state also gains the right to take the land away if those taxes are not paid. (Example, Mashpee Wampanoags in Massachusetts.)

B-I-N-G-O Started It

Several Native Tribes in the 1970s opened bingo halls. The Seminoles in Florida were the first. Quickly, local and state officials shut it down.

Many other local and state municipalities filed lawsuits against such activity. The landmark case California v. Cabazon Band of Mission Indians paved the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA). But unfortunately, the Supreme Court sided with the Cabazon tribe. Native American Tribal gaming erupted from that point.

Summary – A Few Facts

California and Oklahoma are the most significant Indian gambling states in annual revenue. Florida, Washington, and Arizona follow them.
There are 493 Indian gaming operations in 28 states.
Two hundred forty federally recognized tribes own those properties.
562 federally recognized tribes in the United States are not part of the gambling industry.
Native American casinos in the United States provide 612,000 jobs in the country.
Tribal casinos pay $9 billion in taxes and revenue sharing to federal and state governments.
The tribes invest much of their casino revenue in better schools, roads, infrastructure, and community services.

“The current number of Native Lands/ Tribe gaming establishments is around 470 in the United States. They are consistently moving in on the market leaders, the privately-owned casinos.”
Bradley Retter of BestUsCasinos.org

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