The Significance of the Casino to Native American Sovereignty

As I read through Vizenor’s chapter entitled “Casino Coups,” my feelings were mixed on the topic. On one hand I find myself struggling with the notion that gambling, on the scale of the casino, has somehow become a valuable aspect of the Native American community and in some cases even associated with Native American Sovereignty as well. But, on the other hand, I can see the ironic beauty in it.

I think my struggle with accepting the casino as a representation of some kind of new found power within the Native American community is more personal than anything else. Because there are a few people in my family who struggle with gambling. And it is not like they have money so they just enjoy the games and can afford it. No, they are living in poverty. But it was not the gambling that impoverished them; they were born into poverty, as Southwest Philadelphia is certainly not known for its wealth. Their problems with gambling developed out of a desire to escape that poverty; however, as most have virtually no education or other means through which to escape their situation, they often turn to gambling. In their hopelessness, they turn to the dream of that possibility of winning big! Regardless of the unlikelihood of winning, they waste what little money they have on that dream… But hey, if you lack even a high school diploma, how could you be expected to understand the notion of probability. This is the primary reason I am opposed to gambling and believe that it is ultimately a corrupt institution. Because, more often than not, it preys upon the lower classes as it entices them with the promises of transcending their downcast social state, while at the same time tricking them into gambling away what little wealth they have by playing a mathematically rigged game of chance.

However, having said that, when it comes to the Native American situation, my attitude changes slightly, as I see the irony surrounding the topic. For instance, many of the native peoples of this land were the victims of a genocide that was primarily supported by the corrupt desire, greed, and heartlessness of European expansion and  constant acquisition. Eventually having the vast majority of their lands stolen from them and being themselves physically moved in many cases to select areas called reservations, and being essentially left to struggle and suffer in these places, I can’t really be upset with native peoples for taking advantage of the ability to run casinos on lands that are not governed by the state itself. To a certain degree I find it satisfyingly ironic that they can now generate power through playing off of the desire and greed for wealth that many Americans who are foolish enough to gamble lust after, and at the same time make a statement of sovereignty through that process. Why not? My concern, however, is if that money is actually being used to support the native peoples on those reservations. If it is being used for such a thing, then I think it’s a good thing. But if it is just benefiting a few native people who run or own the casinos, than I think it is completely corrupt. Plus, I wonder to what extent the casinos play off of the poverty of the native peoples on the reservations themselves. Because that would also seem rather corrupt to me as well.

Personally, I really liked Vizenor’s proposal, that “The tribes could name ambassadors to various nations and establish an international presence as a sovereign government; the creation of embassies would be a wiser test of sovereignty than casino riches with no honorable power. Then the tribal embassies could negotiate with casino monies the liberation of hundreds of stateless families in the world. The liberation of Kurdish, Tibetan, Haitian, and other families, for instance, would sustain the moral traditions of tribal cultures” (148). I think that is an incredible idea! And I certainly hope that somewhere someone is doing something like that. Because throughout a lot of what we have read so far, it seems a great deal of importance is placed upon presence and absence. For instance, the presence of casinos on reservation lands and their ability to bring wealth, and thus power, into Native American hands. Perhaps, if this wealth was used to establish an international community, as Vizenor suggests, the presence of this international community of native peoples and their struggles may be officially recognized, respected, and included among international organizations like the United Nations. Is there absence from such a community the reason for their lack of power? In this world it would seem that an absence of the ability to represent oneself matters greatly. Is that not what sovereignty is all about, the ability to represent oneself and one’s people?

It’s like Vizenor says at the end of “Casino Coups:” “Casinos are the wages of wealth, morality, and sovereignty, but tribal courage and international presence could secure more than the envies of casino riches and the limited sovereignty determined by federal courts and the government. Casino avarice with no moral traditions is a mean measure of tribal wisdom” (148).