In 1675, his name sparked intense fear and dread across English Massachusetts and throughout New England. Tall, muscular and a great leader of men, he was perceived by colonial ancestors to be the evil-doing devil incarnate.
ONAMIA, Minn. – The Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe’s Corporate Commission, which manages Grand Casino Mille Lacs and Grand Casino Hinckley, has hired an experienced casino IT director as its new chief innovation officer. Dwight Terrance, a tribal member of the St. Regis Mohawk tribe, comes to the Mille Lacs Band after leading IT departments for two of the largest Native American casinos in the United States.
Ever had to sit through a dull, confusing and extremely long presentation? Wondering to yourself; what is the point here? As Native professionals, we may often find ourselves presenting and sharing information. Whether it is making a sales presentation, providing an update to tribal council or presenting a workshop to high school students, we often have opportunities to make a strong impact on our audiences. So it is important to avoid being one of the many people that miss the mark when it comes to delivering an effective message.
On July 26, the groundbreaking for the new Red Lake Reservation Convenience Store near Seven Clans Casino at Red Lake took place. The event happened just north of the reservation line on Hwy. 89, across the highway from Red Lake Builders. The event began with a prayer conducted by Hereditary Chief Sam Smith and the offering of asemaa (tobacco) by all.
BUFFALO, N.Y. – Jordan A. Levy, a partner in Softbank Capital and chairman of the Erie Canal Harbor Development Corporation, joined the board of Seneca Holdings LLC, a $28 million effort to diversify the Seneca Nation economy and create wealth for the nation and its people by investing in and buying companies.
Every agency that serves American Indians and Alaska Natives must answer these questions in order to fuel the decision-making process: How much will it cost? How many people are served? And, by the way, who is an Indian?
HONOLULU – Through Aug. 31, the Pupu o Niihau, a special Niihau shell lei showcase will be held at Mea Makamae located in the Royal Hawaiian Hotel. Financed in part through a small business micro-loan from the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement, the extraordinary showcase will feature lei makers from the island of Niihau.
INDIO, Calif. – The slots at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino are hot and lots of lucky winners have big smiles and big checks to prove it. Recent players have won a total of nearly $100,000, including more big winners each Saturday in the resort’s Bank Busters drawings.
VERONA, N.Y. – The gaming experience at Turning Stone Resort and Casino continues to stay on the cutting edge of fun and entertainment. Sixteen new games have been installed on 156 of the 2,263 gaming machines at Turning Stone Resort and Casino. This is the second addition of new games in the past four months. The resort now has more than 195 different games on a variety of gaming machines with denominations starting at one cent up to $25.
From bear grass to huckleberries to cedar and more, it’s getting harder and harder for the treaty Indian tribes in western Washington to find and access natural resources that are central to our culture.
JUNEAU, Alaska – Sealaska Corporation has purchased a downtown lot and plans to donate the site to the nonprofit Sealaska Heritage Institute for a planned Southeast Alaska Native Cultural and Visitors Center.
DULUTH, Minn. – Life is something of a dance for families on the mythical Mozhay Point Indian Reservation in Minnesota, created in Linda LeGarde Grover’s short-story collection, “The Dance Boots.”
Two steps forward, two back, a turn here or there and the tales weave rhythmically back and forth between the reservation, nearby cities and boarding schools, between eras from the turn of the 20th century into the 21st and between families, lovers and friends.
In 1996, in Geneva, Switzerland, a member of the U.S. Mission to the United Nations made a comment about what was then being referred to as the “Draft United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.” I had asked a question along the following lines of the United States representatives: “Assuming that the draft Declaration one day becomes fully adopted by the United Nations, of what actual, practical significance will this be to indigenous nations and peoples throughout the world.”
COEUR D’ALENE, Idaho – American Indian students at North Idaho College have done something no other group has ever done at the school. They have established a scholarship program to help fund a college education for future students and they continue to add to that fund.
CASS LAKE, Minn. – Starting this fall and thanks to a $100,000 Walmart Minority Student Success Award, Leech Lake Tribal College will add a powerful tool for helping students complete their degrees.
The new Miikinaa (The Path) mentoring program will focus this year on 15 to 20 students who are the first in their families to attend post-secondary education. These “first-generation” students often find education beyond high school more of a challenge than those following in the footsteps of earlier relatives who attended colleges or universities. According to a story in a March 2010 edition of USA Today, more than one-quarter of first-generation, low-income students leave college after their first year and nearly 90 percent never complete a degree.
Analyze the features and functions of a software system – and a casino manager is likely to identify and implement a tool that will solve a specific operational problem. Good enough.
FORT YATES, N.D. – After living off the reservation for 60 years, Hazel Red Bird, 84, returned to reservation life in Eagle Butte, S.D., located on the Cheyenne River Reservation.
PRESCOTT, Ariz. – If you want to fish from the richest waters, you need to pay your respects to snakes that live there. The deergrass, redbud, and other plants which are used to create traditional baskets won’t grow if the land isn’t renewed by fire.
Everywhere you turn – radio, television, Internet or the newspaper – the debate continues about whether we have come through the worst of the recession, or will we enter a double-dip recession? And even if the dreaded double-dip does not occur, there appears to be a growing chorus that the economic recovery will take years rather than months to occur. Recently Paul Volcker, former Federal Reserve governor and current senior advisor to President Obama, said, “People are nervous about the long-term outlook, and they should be.”
TUCSON, Ariz. – From June 20 – 25, 16 Native American high school juniors and seniors participated in the Native American Science and Engineering Program at the University of Arizona. In conjunction with learning pertinent college preparation information, students were engaged in STEM focused activities which include science, technology, engineering, and math.
