the meaning of indigenous casinos: an anishinaabe perspective
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The Meaning of Indigenous Casinos: An Anishinaabe Perspective Darrel Manitowabi, PhDLaurentian [email protected] February 2016
OverviewReflexive gambling experienceNorth American Indigenous Casinos & Gambling
Social, political, economic & cultural context
Gambling before colonizationColonized context of Indigenous PeoplesIndigenous gambling in the present
Objective: colonization as a determinant in casino research
Bingo Then and Now
Source: Wikipedia Commons 2010
Chi-Mookmonak
Source: Wikipedia Commons 2010
Indigenous GamblingCulin (1992[1907]):
Indigenous gambling: 229 tribes, 36 games2 types: guessing, dice
Ojibwa/Anishinaabe:2 types: chance, dexterity (Densmore 1979); E.g.: Chance: makizinataadiwin “moccasin game”Dexterity: baagaadowewin “lacrosse”
Anishinaabe Moccasin Game:“an Indian will stake first his gun; next his steel-traps; then his implements of war; then his clothing; and lastly, his tobacco and pipe, leaving him, as we say, ‘Nah-bah-wan-yah-ze-yaid’; a piece of cloth with a string around his waist” (Copway 2001 [1850]: 48)
Maiden’s Ball Play“Crowds rush to a given point as the ball is sent flying through the air. None stop to narrate the accidents that befal [sic] them, though they tumble about to their no little discomfiture; they rise making a loud noise, something between a laugh and a cry, some limping behind the others, as the women shout. ‘Ain goo’ is heard sounding like the notes of a dove, of which it is no bad imitation. Worked garters, mocassins [sic], leggings and vermilion are generally at stake. Sometimes the chief of the village sends a parcel before they commence, the contents of which are to be distributed among the maidens when the play is over” (Copway 2001: 50).
Colonized Context of Indigenous Peoples
History: allies to obstaclesTreaties: land sessions (reserves CAN, reservations US)
E.g. Anishinaabe divided US/CAN (Belfry 2011)
Legacy of colonialism:Power & control over Indigenous peoplesTransformation: marginalized economy, politics, religion
Consequence “culture of poverty” E.g. Frideres & Gadacz (2001)
Post 1970s: decolonization/self-governmentPolitical & economic change (Dickason & Newbigging 2010)1990s neoliberal reforms: Indigenous casinos (Manitowabi 2011)
Casino Rama, est. 1996US: Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (1988)
Tribal/State compacts (NIGC: n.d.)
CAN: Criminal Code of Canada (limited before 1969, 1985); Provincial domainOntario First Nations casino, influenced by US experience: share all profits
Rama selected as site
Casino ownership:1996-2011 “First Nations”2011 new agreement2011 Provincial (OLG)Rama: lease, profit %
Gambling and Neoliberalism
Indigenous Problem & pathological gambling:
5x higher (CAN) (Belanger 2014)
Indigenous gambling “double-edged sword”:1. Mechanism for socioeconomic development2. Problem & pathological gambling
“(People) are feeling more secure, psychologically, socially, there is now disposable income. …There’s gambling addiction, it is silent but here. I see it, when I did research, in the general public, I see the same people all the time… …became severe gamblers. On the positive side, it is a small portion, I estimate 75% don’t use the casino, 25 % use it.”
Ethnographic InsightsCommunity divisions over casino: those in support, those against; initial period challenging, transitionalResistance: members confronted the casinoFraming: community zone; casino zoneNegotiating space: gamblers, entertainment, restaurantImperialism: no community gambling, fundraisingMeeting place/capacity: local/regional FN gatherings
Discussion and Conclusion
Indigenous peoples practiced pre-colonial gamblingSocially defined event, betting of material goods
Contemporary gambling has changed: state defined and controlledProvincially-regulatedFirst Nations-Province Agreement
Social and economic context: neoliberal reformsColonization as a determinant in gambling research (c.f. Czyzweski 2011)
Historical context to Indigenous gambling
Limitations:Case study, shifting environment of casinos/gamblingSocial and cultural perspective, complement to gambling studies (Kingma 2010)
ReferencesBelanger, Yale. 2014. Gambling. In, Journey to Healing: Aboriginal People with Addiction and Mental Health Issues, ed. P. Menzies and L. Lavallee, pp: 273-284. Toronto: Centre for Addiction and Mental Health.Bellfy, Phi. 2011. Three Fires Unity: The Anishnaabeg of the Lake Huron Borderlands. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press. Campbell, Colin. 2009. Canadian Gambling Policies. In, Casino State: Legalized Gambling in Canada, ed J. Cosgrave and T. Klassen, pp: 69-90. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.Copway, George. 2001 [1850]. The Traditional History and Characteristic Sketches of the Ojibway Nation. Toronto: Prospero Books.Culin, Stewart. 1992 [1907]. Games of the North American Indians, in Two Volumes. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press.Czyzewski, Karina. 2011. Colonialism as a Broader Social Determinant of Health. The International Indigenous Policy Journal 2 (1). http://irlibbu.uwo.ca/iiipj/vol 2/iss1/5Densmore, Frances. 1979 [1985]. Chippewa Customs. St. Paul: Minnesota Historical Society.Dickason, Olive and William Newbigging. 2010. A Concise History of First Nations, Second Edition. Toronto: Oxford University Press. Frideres, James and Rene Gadacz. 2001. Aboriginal Peoples in Canada: Contemporary Conflicts, Sixth Edition. Toronto: Prentice Hall. Kingma, Sytze. 2010. Global Gambling: Cultural Perspectives on Gambling Organizations. New York: Routledge.Manitowabi, Darrel. 2011. Casino Rama: First Nations Self-Determination, Neoliberal Solution, or Partial Middle Ground? In, First Nations Gaming in Canada, ed. Y. Belanger, pp. 255-278. Winnipeg: University of Manitoba Press.National Indian Gaming Commission. N.D. Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. URL: http://www.nigc.gov/Laws_Regulations/Indian_Gaming_Regulatory_Act.aspx#2703Wikipedia Commons. 2010 URL: https://commons.wikimedia.org/