The Native Blog

Newswatch

Kenosha Casino proposal clears hurdle

"A proposed $808 million off-reservation casino complex in Kenosha has been recommended for approval by a regional Bureau of Indian Affairs office, Menominee tribal leaders said today.

The favorable recommendation is a big step in the years' long effort to establish the Kenosha casino, Menominee tribal Chairwoman Karen Washinawatok said in a prepared statement.

"We are very pleased that our application continues to make solid and steady progress," Washinawatok said.

Evan Zeppos, a spokesman for the project, said the positive recommendation from Terrance Virden, the regional Bureau of Indian Affairs director, meant the casino had cleared a major regulatory hurdle. But Zeppos noted that the project still faced additional bureau scrutiny in Washington, D.C.

The casino, which also must be approved by Gov. Jim Doyle, would be built on the site of the Dairyland Greyhound Park, 35 miles south of Milwaukee on I-94.

The Forest County Potawatomi Tribe, which operates a casino in Milwaukee, opposes the Kenosha casino. The Potawatomi have complained that a Kenosha casino would limit growth potential at Potawatomi Bingo Casino in Milwaukee, which is undergoing a $240 million expansion."

Jenna also danced for her 'crown'

Jenna Huffman-Winchester won Potawatomi Princess on her first try at the Gathering of the Pokagon Band and others which took place in Dowagiac last summer.

Read more from a Michigan paper

2007 Potawatomi Gathering

The tentative dates for the 2007 Potawatomi Gathering are:

Potawatomi Language Conference--August 5-8, Carter, Wisconsin

The Gathering--August 9-12

The Michiganmau Dispute

"In 1817, the Ojibwe, Potowatomi and Odawa Nations made an agreement to cede 3,840 acres of their lands in exchange for the education of all future generations of their people. This agreement, known as the Treaty of Fort Meigs, became the basis for the foundation of the University. Despite the terms of this agreement, not only have outreach and retention efforts for Native American students been neglected, but an organization openly mocking and bastardizing Native American culture has long been in place."

Read more at the Michigan Daily

The Island Resort

HARRIS — Looking back at how the Island Resort Casino began and where it is today, the progress made over the years is “extremely surprising,” said Dave Feathers, public relations manager.

The Island Resort is the largest casino in the Upper Peninsula. It’s come a long way from its beginnings as a pole building more than two decades ago, he said.

The Island Resort Casino, formerly known as the Chip-In Casino, began its gambling operations in a building on the Hannahville Indian Community in December 1985. In 1991, the casino opened on its existing property at W399 U.S. 2 & 41. The facility included a bingo hall, gaming area, a 27-room motel, a restaurant and a bar.

An expansion project completed in May 1998 consisted of a new hotel, swimming pool, new gaming area, lounge, restaurant and showroom. The convention center followed in 1999.

With the current expansion project, the casino is growing to include a larger showroom, more gaming area, an 11-story hotel, a new restaurant and bar, and a new lounge. (See related story.)

“Everything that’s happened here is a tribute of good management and the outstanding ownership of the Hannahville Indian Community,” Feathers said. “They’re dedicated to the success of this place.”

The current expansion will benefit casino customers, employees and the region’s economy, and also increase the tribe’s revenues, allowing for greater tribal services for its members, Feathers noted.

The Hannahville Indian Community is made up of members of the Potawatomi Tribe.

Read the Story from the 'Daily Press.'

After 171 years...

After 171 years, tribe sees brighter economic future
Laura Spurr

"What a difference 171 years makes! That is how long the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of Potawatomi has waited for the federal government to create a reservation. In 1836, Potawatomi tribal leaders were forced to sign the Treaty of Chicago that essentially took away from them southern Michigan, Indiana and northern Illinois, including Chicago, and required their removal to Kansas. In 1840, Gen. Brady of the United States Army came with soldiers to "remove" the members of this tribe to Kansas. They walked all the way west in what has come to be known as "the Trail of Death." Many died from the brutality of this forced march. Many members of the tribe went into hiding or escaped and returned to Michigan. Since that time the federal government refused to acknowledge the tribal members who were able to remain in their homeland. In 1995, after many years of struggle, federal recognition was regained. However, the tribe still had no official federal reservation. The tribal members had taken their annuity payment (from the land that was taken from them) to buy back what they could afford, 120 acres, and since they were not even legally able to buy land, they had to have a Methodist minister buy it for them. We now pay taxes on this land to Athens Township."

Read more from the article

Ho-Chuck, Potawatomi elder

Ho-Chunk, Potawatomi elder remembered as friend, Muse

Battle Creek area casino clears another hurdle

Battle Creek area casino clears another hurdle

EMMETT TWP. - The U.S. government has taken into trust a 78-acre parcel of land that is the proposed site for a casino planned by the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of Potawatomi. The action, taken Tuesday by the U.S. Department of Interior's Bureau of Indian Affairs, clears the way for the Athens-based American Indian tribe to begin construction on the FireKeepers Casino. Plans call for a 150,000-square-foot casino near Interstate 94 featuring 2,000 slot machines and 50 table games. When the bureau takes a tribe's land into trust, it becomes sovereign reservation land, a federal requirement for Indian casino development. 

Chairperson Stanhoff hands out Warrior Award!

Chairperson Stanhoff hands out Warrior Award!

 

Potawatomi family discusses Thanksgiving

Potawatomi Family discusses Thanksgiving