First Nations casinos opening in 1996

Page 15

If the plans of First Nations across Canada bear fruit, there will be a series of major casinos opened on reserves across the country later this year. Led by the flagship in Ontario at the Chippewas of Rama Band near Orillia, late summer and fall should be an exciting time for those who hope to have a flutter at the tables.

Casino Rama will be a state-of-the-art gaming and entertainment facility which will be opening at the end of July, if current estimates hold. The casino will be the biggest in Canada, and more than 2,200 slot machines are planned, which will take denominations from 25 cents up to $100. There will be 109 game tables, at which patrons will be able to indulge in blackjack, roulette, baccarat, mini baccarat, Caribbean stud poker, pai gow poker, let it ride and big six. Visitors will also be able to eat in one of four restaurants or to enjoy live entertainment in the Silver Nightingale Lounge. The casino also will operate a retail gift shop.

One of the unique design features of Casino Rama will be the spectacular exterior art wall featuring Aboriginal art. The 3,300-sq. m mural will consist of 450 aluminum panels depicting the seven clan animals of the Chippewas: fish, crane, loon, bear, marten, bird and deer. It will be the work of Rama artists at the M'njikaning Art Studio.

Inside, Casino Rama will be a showcase of high-tech designs and traditional influences with a wall of water fountain, a dazzling laser light show called the "Circle of Nature" and other Native art work. The casino compares in size with any on the continent, with 17,500 sq. m of floor space, approximately 5,900 sq. m on one level gaming floor.

The area surrounding the casino features numerous tourist attractions - nearby beaches, water skiing, boating and other summer recreational opportunities abound on the local lakes, and winter activities include skiing, snowmobiling and ice fishing.

Orillia is nearby, and the city offers visitors full services of a small Ontario city. The casino will be making a Rama Players Card available to patrons, and it will offer discounts at area facilities, services and retailers. This kind of packaging points to success, according to experts.

"If there's a marriage between [gaming and cultural attractions], it can make them very successful," said Warren Skea, a specialist in Native gaming and Ph.D. candidate in sociology at the University of Calgary. "The key is geographic location. The Pequots [in populous Connecticut] can build a huge casino, but the Chippewas in northern Michigan were not able to do so."

The Sault Ste. Marie casino was used to provide seed money for diverse economic developments in the area, not in any way related to the casino. Skea explained that this was the best possible use of casino profits in areas where casino attendance alone is not going to make the operating band rich.

Elsewhere, by the end of the year, there will be five casinos operating in Saskatchewan creating revenue for the province's First Nations. Three are already operating: two operated by the Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Association, the Northern Lights Casino at Prince Albert and the Golden Eagle Casino at North Battleford, and the provincially operated Las Vegas-style Casino Regina, from which a percentage of profit goes to Native coffers. Two other SIGA casinos will open in 1996, at Yorkton and at the White Bear First Nation, north of Estevan. Each will give patrons the same look - a community-scale casino with both table and machine gambling opportunities.

The Golden Eagle Casino, for example, offers blackjack, roulette, poker, big six and red dog, as well as other table games. It has VLTs and slot machines, as well, and the slots range from nickel slots up to $25. Casino manager Lorne Bick said that there will be progressives and that SIGA is looking into linking the four casinos it operates. The other three SIGA casinos are somewhat different, but will offer most if not all of the same things.

ther jurisdictions in Canada offer varying levels of gaming. British Columbia offers small-scale casinos but rejects a Las Vegas-style model and also rejects VLTs. Alberta has VLTs all over the province, and has allowed casinos on a charitable model for years, which has been extended to First Nations according to recommendations contained in a recently released report by a government committee to look into Native gaming (and which is under review).

Manitoba's First Nations can regulate bingos and pull tickets on reserves, but the province rejects casinos in all forms and severely limits and regulates VLTs. In New Brunswick, the Woodstock Band has an agreement with the provincial government to operate a high-stakes bingo with Monte Carlo nights, but casino-type gambling is not permitted. The band is developing a 1,200-seat bingo hall and will make up pull tickets for use on the reserve. Other New Brunswick First Nations are expected to negotiate similar agreements based on the Woodstock model.

For information on local casino availability, call the casino directly at the local number. Check the yellow pages locally under both "Bingo" and "Casinos."

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Hit the powwow trail on this summer's vacation

Page 17

Terry Lusty, Windspeaker Contributor, Stand Off Alberta

As spring and summer brings on new life, so too does the powwow come alive. The early spring powwows never fail to attract a fairly good crowd and the participants who want to renew their dancing and singing get ready for the coming powwow circuit.

And, yes, they come in droves - by car, truck, van, bus, plane and train. With them they pack their dance outfits, drums, song tapes, camping gear, crafts, and a whole new batch of stories to tell their friends and acquaintances.

On the road, many of them listen to their favorite drum groups - Red Bull, WhiteTail, Northern Cree, etc. Those who are unfamiliar with the songs use the tapes and learn them by the time they arrive at their destination. And while theydrive, they note such occurances as hawks and eagles in the sky, brothers and sisters on the road, and the Native-driven vehicles all heading in the same direction.

The powwow is a phenomenon unlike any other. It is a period of revitalization, reinforcement and preservation of that which is held near and dear to each and every individual.

The powwow as we know it in these modern days, is a far cry from earlier times when such gatherings were few and far between. Historically, Indian people came together in a group for special social, ceremonial, economic or political reasons only.

Boye Ladd, a dancer on the circuit, has educated many people about the traditions and elements of the powwow.

In explaining the spiritual side of Indian people, Ladd promotes the notion that Indians have always enjoyed a close and respectful relationship with nature, Mother Earth and our Creator.

Many dances, said Ladd, were not meant for public consumption, due to their religious significance. Numerous songs and dances, he said, had to do with the imitation of that which is sacred, things like animals and the natural forces around us.

The term "Pau Wau," said Ladd, was a reference to medicine men and spiritual leaders. Somehow, visiting Europeans heard the term used so often, it was misinterpreted to mean the occasion instead of the medicine man - the cause of the occasion.

Although powwows are a Plains Indian phenomena, they are gradually spreading to Canada's more northerly bush communities where tea dances, round dances, blanket dances and the like, have been the norm.

Dances were performed to give thanks, or to pray for success in food gathering, hunting or warfare. Dancing was also built into honoring deceased people, in name giving ceremonies and in transferring or renewing sacred or ceremonial objects.

Dances were also performed in times of need, if someone was ill or on a special mission or when individuals returned from missions. Dances honored their safe return or the uccess they achieved.

With the beginning of the reserve system in Canada and the restriction of Indian movement after the treaties were signed with the British Crown, (plus the problems associated with the Northwest Rebellion of 1885,) it was very difficult for different Indian bands to get together.

As well, the government and the church were busy preaching the ills of Indian religious beliefs and practices.

In those hard times, government was very concerned about what could or might happen if Indians were able to band together in large numbers. By the late 19th century, the government banned the practice of Indian culture and religion.

By the Second World War, much of Indian culture and religion had disappeared. Songs and rituals were lost. In their place, Christianity prevailed. Fortunately, there were those who went underground with their culture and preserved it for the future generations.

Following the war, Indians started to pick up the pieces. By the time the 1960s rolled around, the communities were ripe for a cultural explosion. And, it happened. After all, the 60s was a decade of cultural awareness, of going back to one's roots, and rekindling the fires that would light up lives. Even the education systems were adopting language and cultural programming.

In Alberta, Wallace Mountain Horse, Sr. from the Blood Reserve, labored to bring about Indian Days celebrations to the Kainai people. Formerly a hoop and chicken dancer himself, he said the celebration was borrowed from their western neighbors, the Peigan, whom he credits as the first tribe in all of Canada to host Indian Days.

When Mountain Horse introduced the idea to the Blood Tribe chief and council, it met some opposition from then-famous artist, the late Gerald Tailfeathers. He argued that dance competitions were not traditional and they would focus too much on the dance contests. How right he was, and it happens that this is an argument still used today by traditionalists.

Still, the Blood