State Legislatures Magazine: May 2000
Editor's Note: This article appeared in the May 2000 issue of NCSL's magazine, State Legislatures. To order copies or to subscribe, contact the marketing department at (303) 364-7700.
On First Reading
Native American Tribes Contribute to State Economies
Contrary to popular belief, the economic success of Indian tribes goes far beyond gaming. In recent years, tribes have been setting their sights on other lucrative opportunities from retail to banking to pharmaceuticals. And it's having a positive effect on state economies.
The Citizen Potowatomie Nation in Oklahoma, for example, is building an $8 million discount supermarket "intended to be the anchor store for what will be a shopping center development," according to tribal Chairman John Barrett Jr. And the Hopi Tribe in Arizona has purchased a shopping center in Flagstaff for $3.5 million.
Some tribes seek to capitalize on unique cultural features or natural resources. The Navajo Nation runs a big-game hunting operation, where permits alone can cost thousands of dollars in addition to hiring a Navajo guide. The Navajo reservation is also host to a "bed and breakfast" industry where visitors can either stay with a Navajo family, who provides beds and meals, or in a traditional hogan that has no beds, running water or electricity. These excursions are growing in popularity, particularly with people from foreign countries, and typically cost from $85 to $125 a night.
The Mashantucket Pequots in Connecticut have a pharmaceutical business; the Blackfeet in Montana own a bank in Browning that has aided in the startup of over 200 businesses in the area since 1987. The Standing Rock Sioux's Sioux Manufacturing Corporation celebrated its 25th anniversary last year in North Dakota. The Cabazon Band of Cahuilla Mission Indians in California owns and operates First Nation Recovery, a tire recycling plant that grinds up 1.7 million pounds of rubber, steel and fiber each month and ships 1.3 million pounds out for asphalt projects and other projects.
These businesses don't just benefit the tribal communities. Increasingly, states are realizing that their economies benefit from tribal economic growth within their borders.
"Economic Contributions of Indian Tribes to the Economy of Washington State," now two years old, presents data that shows the tribes contribute $1 billion annually to the state's economy.
The report, sponsored by Governor Gary Locke and his office of Indian Affairs, discusses how some Indian tribes in Washington, as in the rest of the country, are seeking to develop sustainable economies. And that means diverse economies apart from the gaming industry.
The Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe, for instance, is a producer, distributor and wholesaler of seafood. With sales nationwide and throughout the Far East, they are a leading supplier of live Northwest shellfish. The tribe has well established relations with all of the major air carriers, as well as trucking capacity. Other Washington tribes host a variety of industries, market natural resources and promote tourism.
©2000, National Conference of State Legislatures. All rights reserved.
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