Foxwoods sponsors Chinese dragon boat

Foxwoods Resort Casino to Honor Ancient Chinese Tradition at Dragon Boat Festival in NYThis weekend, one of the elaborate Dragon Boats in the 2012 Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival in New York will be sponsored by Foxwoods Resort Casino.

At the multi-cultural festival—the largest of its kind in the U.S.—competitors will paddle the brightly colored canoes, complete with dragon heads and tails, across Meadow Lake in Queens. The 22nd annual festival takes place Saturday, August 4 and Sunday, August 5; it is free to attend. The festival will feature the New York Dragon Boat Championships and the U.S. Dragon Boat Open Championship Races in Flushing Meadows Corona Park, home of the 1964 World’s Fair.

The Dragon Boat Festival is commemorated each year on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month. Four days before the festival begins, the dragon boats are taken from their resting places and their heads and tails attached. They are then ritually blessed by a Buddhist monk and later brought to life before the races by having their eyes dotted in red paint.

This year, the festival will play host to more than 170 teams, encompassing more than 2,000 crew members from across America and Canada.Comment:  Foxwoods's motives aren't pure, of course. It's trying to attract Chinese gamblers to its casino.

For more on Foxwoods, see Foxwoods Partners with Mystic Aquarium and Spider-Man Pays Off for Foxwoods.

Below:  "Competitors paddle to the finish line at the 2009 Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival." (Courtesy Festival Facebook)

Foxwoods partners with Mystic Aquarium

Foxwoods and Mystic Aquarium Partner in Marketing Deal

By Gale Courey ToensingTwo of the most famous tourist attractions in southeastern Connecticut have entered a unique partnership that will help raise awareness—and, it is hoped, the number of visitors—to each facility and to the area.

Foxwoods Resort Casino and the Mystic Aquarium announced in a press release Nov. 22 that they have entered an innovative sponsorship agreement, The agreement will focus on marketing, co-branding and “mutually beneficial cross-promotion,” the release says.

The agreement will give Foxwoods prominent branding and signage at the aquarium, with Foxwoods gaining naming rights to the Mystic Aquarium’s 1,200-seat Marine Theater. The Mystic Aquarium will also feature Foxwoods in its marketing, advertising and media outreach initiatives.Comment:  For more on Foxwoods, see Spider-Man Pays Off for Foxwoods and "Foxwoods Final Five" Advertising Deal.

Spider-Man pays off for Foxwoods

Foxwoods’ crossover with Spider-Man play paying off

By James MosherSuperheroes need to have thick skins. Spider-Man is proving to have one, fighting off bad luck and negative reviews to post impressive box office numbers and give a boost to his theater patron—Foxwoods Resort Casino.

The musical, “Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark,” currently running on Broadway, took a series of blows from critics about injured actors and technical difficulties, repeated delays for the official opening of the production, the firing of the director and the cost—a reported whopping $75 million by the time the elaborate show opened June 14.

As these difficulties mounted over several months, one thing remained constant—a reminder that the beleaguered show was being staged at the Foxwoods Theater.

The casino stands by its investment, Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation Chairman Rodney Butler said.

“People can say what they want, but tickets are selling,” said Butler, who attended opening night. “That’s the ultimate gauge of success.”

Now that the show has opened, tickets, each of which has the Foxwoods name printed on it, are selling briskly for up to $140. Recent receipts posted on Playbill.com show “Spider-Man” playing to sold-out audiences. For the week ending June 26, the gross admission take was $1.7 million with an average ticket price of $110.Comment:  For more on the subject, see "Foxwoods Final Five" Advertising Deal and Foxwoods Bets on Spider-Man.

Below:  Reeve Carney and Jennifer Damiano star in Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark.

Bruins celebrate at Foxwoods

World champion Bruins bring Stanley Cup to Foxwoods

'Big hockey fan' Butera joins festivities

By James MosherSeveral members of the Stanley Cup champion Boston Bruins hockey team visited Foxwoods Resort Casino on Saturday and brought the championship trophy with them. Foxwoods President and CEO Scott Butera, who is a “big hockey fan,” according to a spokeswoman, joined the party.

Stanley Cup MVP Tim Thomas, the goaltender who shut out the Vancouver Canucks 4-0 in the decisive Game 7 in Canada, was among the guests as was team captain Zdeno Chara, assistant Patrice Bergeron, Milan Lucic, Brad Marchand, and Shawn Thornton.

The Bruins visited the Shrine club at MGM Grand at Foxwoods and the High Rollers Luxury Lanes & Lounge in the Foxwoods Resort Casino portion of the entertainment complex.Comment:  For more on Indians and hockey, see The Uluit: Champions of the North and Inuk Hockey Player Enters Rehab.

Below:  "Foxwoods President & CEO Scott Butera with Zdeno Chara (far left) and Shawn Thorton (middle)." (Brian Spinelli)

"Foxwoods Final Five" advertising deal

Foxwoods ads to run on NY hockey, basketball gamesFoxwoods Resort Casino and Madison Square Garden have announced an expanded marketing partnership giving the Connecticut casino the right to advertise in the final five minutes of pro hockey and basketball games.

The deal, which Foxwoods' chief marketing officer Robert Victoria said is worth more than $1 million, includes Foxwoods advertising on MSG television, a high-visibility billboard outside Madison Square Garden on 42nd Street in New York and below the arena in Penn Station.

The multiyear partnership gives the casino, run by the Mashantucket Indians, greater access into New York's market, reaching millions of sports fans, commuters and passers-by in midtown Manhattan.

The ads will air on Knicks, Rangers, Liberty, Devils and Islanders home games broadcast on MSG's cable sports networks.Foxwoods Resort Casino and Madison Square Garden Extend and Expand Marketing Partnership

Innovative "Foxwoods Final Five" Platform Provides Foxwoods Exclusive Advertising Presence During Final Five Minutes of Team Telecasts and In-ArenaFoxwoods Resort Casino, the premier resort casino destination on the East Coast, and Madison Square Garden announced today that they have extended and expanded their marketing partnership. The new agreement is highlighted by the innovative new “Foxwoods Final Five” platform that provides Foxwoods with exclusive advertising rights to the final five minutes of New York Knicks (NBA), New York Rangers (NHL), New York Islanders (NHL), and New Jersey Devils (NHL) home game telecasts on MSG and MSG Plus. The platform also extends in-arena at Madison Square Garden for Knicks and Rangers games. The multi-year partnership, which is part of a fully integrated marketing deal with MSG, marks the first time a sponsor has acquired exclusive in-game promotions during the last five minutes of a game telecast.

“Sports are a way of life in the tri-state area, and our partnership with MSG helps Foxwoods promote everything our award-winning property has to offer to an incredibly passionate sports fan base.”

“The last five minutes of any sporting event are the most exciting and widely viewed part of the game, so the ‘Foxwoods Final Five’ presents a signature opportunity for Foxwoods to engage a captive audience in the world’s largest media market while they are intently watching the teams they love,” said Chief Marketing Officer for Mashantucket Pequot Gaming Enterprises Robert Victoria. “Sports are a way of life in the tri-state area, and our partnership with MSG helps Foxwoods promote everything our award-winning property has to offer to an incredibly passionate sports fan base.”

In addition to the broadcast component, “Foxwoods Final Five” extends into the legendary MSG venue where Foxwoods will become the exclusive in-arena advertiser during the last five minutes of every Knicks and Rangers home game. The multi-year agreement designates Foxwoods as an Official Partner of the Knicks, Rangers, Liberty and MSG Networks. The partnership increases Foxwoods’ visibility in the New York area and beyond, giving North America’s largest resort casino brand integration across many of MSG’s promotional and marketing platforms, including arena signage, in-game promotions and features, and outdoor visibility on the Garden’s 7th and 8th Avenue Marquees.Comment:  Foxwoods is really making an all-out effort to associate itself with New York City and appeal to New Yorkers (i.e., potential gamblers).

For more on the subject, see Foxwoods Bets on Spider-Man and Foxwoods Logo on Liberty Jerseys.

Foxwoods bets on Spider-Man

Live Nation and Foxwoods Resort Casino Announce Naming Agreement for New York's Broadway Theatre--"Foxwoods Theatre"

“Foxwoods Theatre” to Host One of Broadway’s Most Anticipated Productions--Spider-Man: Turn Off the DarkFoxwoods Resort Casino, the East Coast’s premier resort casino destination, and Live Nation, the world’s largest live music company, today announced a multi-year agreement that grants Foxwoods the exclusive naming rights to the former Hilton Theatre on Broadway’s historic 42nd Street in New York’s Times Square (originally the Ford Center for the Performing Arts). Beginning today, the venue will be called the Foxwoods Theatre. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

Under terms of the agreement, the Foxwoods brand will be incorporated into all exterior and interior venue signage, including the theater’s iconic sign overlooking 42nd Street and in the theater’s VIP Suite and the Dress Circle Lobby. Foxwoods Theatre will feature a unique logo and web domain (www.foxwoodstheatre.com.)

The sponsorship also provides Foxwoods with access to the venue for corporate and philanthropic events and tickets to performances at the theater, most notably to Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, one of the most anticipated Broadway openings of all time. The Foxwoods name will be included on all tickets as well as all elements of Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark’s extensive advertising campaign.Comment:  For more on the subject, see Foxwoods Logo on Liberty Jerseys and The Facts About Indian Gaming.

Foxwoods logo on Liberty jerseys

Foxwoods Casino to Have Logo on Jerseys of WNBA's N.Y. Liberty

By Erik MatuszewskiFoxwoods Resort Casino reached a multiyear agreement with the New York Liberty, becoming the first casino to have branding on the jerseys for a U.S. professional sports team.

Mashantucket, Connecticut-based Foxwoods, North America's largest resort casino, will have its name and logo appear on the front of the Liberty's home and road shirts. The Women's National Basketball Association team will debut its new uniforms in two days during a game against the Connecticut Sun.

"This is an organization we're proud to be associated with," Scott O'Neil, president of Madison Square Garden Sports, said in a telephone interview. "The Foxwoods executives came to us and said, 'We're looking for somewhere to put a stake in the ground and alert those entertainment seekers in New York that we are here, we have a presence and we'd like you to come visit in southeastern Connecticut."Comment:  I've heard of logos on things like shoes and warm-up jackets. But on the official team uniforms? That seems like a first to me.

For more on the casino, see Foxwoods Joke on David Letterman and Foxwoods iPhone App. For more on the subject in general, see The Facts About Indian Gaming.

Foxwoods joke on David Letterman

David Letterman Marks 5,000 Late Night Broadcasts on CBS's "Late Show With David Letterman," Friday, Sept. 25

Guests Include Film Star Bruce Willis and LL COOL J from the New Hit CBS Drama Series “NCIS: Los Angeles”David Letterman marks 5,000 broadcasts in his late night television career on the LATE SHOW with DAVID LETTERMAN, Friday, Sept. 25 (11:35 PM-12:37 AM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.

Letterman, who has notched 1,810 “Late Night” shows and, as of Friday, 3,186 broadcasts and four primetime specials of CBS’s LATE SHOW in his late night television career, comments during Friday’s monologue that people “say to me, ‘Dave, what keeps you working night after night, week after week, month after month, year after year after year? Seriously, why do you keep working?’ And I just tell them, ‘Well, Foxwoods gambling resort.’”Comment:  I don't know why, but jokes about Indians and casinos are busting out all over late-night talk shows.

For more on the subject, see Casino joke on Jimmy Fallon and "Indian Giver" Joke on Tonight Show.

Foxwoods iPhone app

IPhone program to offer ‘virtual’ Foxwoods, games

By Donna GoodisonMGM Grand at Foxwoods is developing an Apple iPhone application that will allow users to gamble on their mobile devices using “play money.”

The MGM Grand-themed game will simulate the sights and sounds of the Connecticut casino as part of the virtual experience.

Billed as the first casino-branded iPhone application, the new technology is expected to be available this fall. It also will provide tutorials on how to play the resort casino’s actual table games.

Another feature will give users in-depth tours of the casino--including its hotel rooms, restaurants, shops and spas--and allow them to make spa appointments.Comment:  This is a good idea, but why limit it to casinos? How about every tribe with a tourism component develop an iPhone app. When you enter the reservation, according to GPS, the phone greets you in the tribe's native language. As you approach a building, monument, site, or geographic feature, the phone gives you its Native name and a brief description of its history and significance.

Foxwoods needs all the help it can get, because the Mashantucket Pequots are losing business and about to default on their loans:

Mashantuckets near default on Foxwoods' debt

Mashantuckets hope to restructure $2.3 billion in debt; plan sees 'no impact' on Foxwoods

By Brian HallenbeckOn the brink of default, the Mashantucket Pequots are seeking to restructure $2.3 billion worth of debt, a senior adviser to the tribe said in interviews this week.

The debt is $1 billion more than the tribe's Foxwoods Resort Casino--North America's largest casino and once the world's most profitable--can sustain, the adviser said.

”We'll be asking creditors to take a big haircut,” he said.For more on the subject, see Cherokee Phone App Video and The Facts About Indian Gaming.

SugarHouse unearths Native artifacts

SugarHouse curtails work retrieving artifacts

By Jennifer LinIn a corner of the SugarHouse Casino property on Delaware Avenue, archaeologists hit a mother lode of Native American artifacts.

From a plot about the size of a public pool, crews unearthed 182 items in only a foot or so of soil. Some date back 5,000 years, making this the largest single discovery of prehistoric items in the city, local archaeologists say.

So significant is the find that experts for federal and state agencies have urged deeper excavation of the site.

But what other treasures lie hidden there will not be revealed anytime soon.

SugarHouse has changed its design plan. One consequence is that the area where the Indian relics were discovered will be paved for a parking lot, said Leigh Whitaker, a spokeswoman for the project.

The developer also will postpone excavating under Penn Street for evidence of a Revolutionary-era British fort and investigating seven shafts that could be colonial privies.Comment:  Ironic that a non-Native casino would dig up Native artifacts in Philadelphia. Meanwhile, Foxwoods has generated controversy with its plans to open a casino nearby but hasn't found any artifacts.

It's a bit hard to tell from the article, but it appears the SugarHouse people are being somewhat sensitive to the artifacts. They aren't simply plowing them under. Unlike, say, the city of Oxford's approach to its ancient Indian mound.

If they pave over the site for a parking lot, I presume that'll preserve the artifacts for future excavation. The real problem is if they plan to dig up and destroy the site instead.

For more on casinos in Philadelphia, see Chinatown vs. Foxwoods.

Leno: Mobsters run Foxwoods

Jay Leno tickles valley's funny boneWhile network television demands on-time starts, the former host of “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” had his audience at The Show at the Agua Caliente Casino Resort Spa holding their collective breath Friday night for a few minutes after the anticipated start time.

When he did arrive on stage—a few minutes late—the 2,001-member audience rose and gave the comic a hearty round of applause. And the comic launched right into his act.

First up, Leno complimented the room, “This is really a beautiful facility,” he said. “This is actually the first casino that has actual Indians that I've played,” he continued. “I played Foxwoods recently, it's run by a member of the Gambino tribe.”Comment:  Leno has performed at a lot of Indian casinos. So every gaming tribe except Agua Caliente is phony? And the mob runs Foxwoods? Wow.

Sure, it was "just a joke." It's a phenomenon known as "kidding on the square." Leno is "joking" about what many people believe: that most gaming tribes are fraudulent.

Again, note the feedback loop between this posting, Chief Ron Lies About Gaming, and Calif. Tribes Are "Highly Questionable"? One reinforces the other, strengthening the message they send to the public. Namely, that Indians are cheaters and liars. They used to skulk behind trees and rocks; now they skulk behind slot machines and roulette wheels.

Indians in Plum Island

Plum IslandFrom Booklist

On Long Island's North Fork, wonderfully roguish NYPD bad-boy detective John Corey assists the local police chief at a crime scene that features a house deck garnished with a married couple dead of clean head shots. Investigators suppose that the pair, researchers at a heavily guarded lab on Plum Island, were involved in smuggling a viral antidote. But Corey, unpersuaded, soon discovers that local history and buried-treasure lore fascinated the victims, which led to a relationship with North Fork's leading socialite, the foppish Fredric Tobin. Three more people die prematurely, and the chase is on. DeMille's Mike Hammer-like cop is a chuckle-provoking winner, and the plot cleverly combines biological hazards and shiver-me-timbers pirate legends. An entertaining mix from the big-selling DeMille. --Gilbert TaylorA review I agree with:A fun adventure, May 5, 2000
By Cory

I read this book on the recommendation of my wife, who is a HUGE Nelson Demille fan. I don't read mysteries, but I thought I would give it a try.

During the first few chapters, my reaction was mild annoyance. The narration, told in first-person by convalescing NYPD Detective John Corey, was just too flip, the wisecracks too forced, so that it detracted from the story.

Another thing that bothered me was that Corey comes from the "No class, no manners, no charm--yet the chicks can't keep their hands off" style of character. I couldn't understand why the pretty antiquarian was so eager to jump him at first sight. Oh well, have your fantasy, Mr. Demille.

Some of Corey's lines are pretty good. After one fellow cracks a lame joke, Corey muses, "He smiled at his wit; appropriately it was a half smile." And he actually is a good investigator, in a bumbling, Columbo sort of way.

The plot was well thought out, and had me rushing through to its exciting conclusion. This was one of the fastest books I've read, as I couldn't put the darn thing down.

All in all a good yarn, if a little silly at times. Kind of like a Hardy Boys mystery for adults. Comment:  In addition to the usual thrills, Plum Island gives readers a look at the northeastern tip of Long Island. In particular, it mentions the Indian history underlying the present-day scene. This isn't exactly remarkable, but it's something that's seldom seen. Most books go trampling all over Indian country without noting that it is (or was), indeed, Indian country.

Some Indian bits in Plum Island:

Someone notes that the Montauk Indians sold their land to the British colonists.

Corey mentions that he found arrowheads and musket balls in the ground as a boy.

A suspect has gambled and lost at the Foxwoods casino across the sound in Connecticut. This is a clue that he may be financially strapped.

Emma Whitestone, Corey's love interest, mentions the nearby American Indian Museum and says she's part Indian.

Corey visits Foxwoods, loses $3,000, and stays overnight in the hotel. The next morning he muses that he was "scalped" by the Indians. (This crude comment is in keeping with Corey's crude personality, so I'm not complaining.)

All in all, Plum Island is a solid mystery/adventure. It's as good as an average book in the Harry Bosch or Jack Reacher series, two of my favorites. Rob's rating: 8.0 of 10.

For more on the subject, see The Best Indian Books.

Highlights of the Pequot Museum

Mashantucket Pequot Museum Offers more than gambling at FoxwoodsThe 85,000-square-foot permanent indoor exhibit also utilizes cutting edge design and technology, including:

Seven computer interactive exhibits

More than three hours of original documentary video

A total of 13 films and video programs throughout the permanent exhibit space, in 10 locations, from the Ice Age to modern times.

Some of the signature exhibits bring visitors on a journey from the last Ice Age to modern times. These include:

A glacial crevasse

A caribou hunt of 11,000 years ago

A walk-through a 6th-century woodland Native American village

A 17th-century Pequot fort

An outdoor, 18th-century farmstead set on two acres, with orchards and gardens.

Comment:  For more on the subject, see Casino Indians Are Bad? and "RACE: Are We So Different?"

Independence from casinos declared

Activists “Declare Independence” From Casinos in PhiladelphiaJust as the Foxwoods Casino is about to begin the formal approval process to build in the Gallery Mall, activists today began a counter campaign. Casino-Free Philadelphia launched its “Declaration of Independence from Casinos” campaign to pressure city officials to block gambling altogether. The event staged near Independence Hall featured a handful of demonstrators dressed in Colonial-era clothing who believe citizens have a right to live in city without casinos.

Comment:  Excellent use of political symbolism here. I wouldn't be surprised if this event got a lot of coverage in the local media.

Of course, it's also common to use Indians as symbols of political rebellion (e.g., the Boston Tea Party). The activists could dressed as Indians and knocked over a few (fake) slot machines. But that wouldn't have worked in this case, since the activists are protesting against Indians.

For more on the subject, see Chinatown vs. Foxwoods and The Facts About Indian Gaming.

Chinatown vs. Foxwoods

Center City casino plan sparks heated hearing, elicits tears from polA discussion in Chinatown last night about a proposed casino project at the Gallery quickly turned unruly and deeply personal when the specter of gambling addiction and suicide gripped the packed meeting.

Lai Har Cheung, who was raging on the edge of hysteria, pleaded with Councilman Frank DiCicco to stop Foxwoods from coming to the Gallery because members of her family were addicted to gambling. The crowd turned on DiCicco when he asked her to calm down.

"You know why I understand?" DiCicco shouted back at the crowd. "My father took his life because he was a gambler."

The Chinatown stage was set against Foxwoods long before city and casino officials arrived to explain why the project might be relocated from its state-approved site in South Philly. Children sporting T-shirts that said "No Casino in Chinatown" waved signs that said: "Don't gamble with my future." Posters accused Foxwoods of pushing gambling addiction on the community.Comment:  For more on the subject, see The Facts About Indian Gaming.

McCain's gambling problem

John McCain's gambling habit could alienate Christian Republicans

Senator John McCain faced alienating the influential Christian wing of the Republican Party after it was revealed that he is a keen gambler with extensive ties to the gaming industry.Mr McCain's claims to be a Washington outsider were also thrown into doubt after his extensive ties to the gambling industry and its lobbyists were revealed by the newspaper. The Obama campaign seized on this to call into question his claims to be a "maverick" intent on changing the system.

"Gambling in casinos that you regulate with the lobbyists that represent those casinos is more of the same broken, special interest driven politics that has dominated Washington," said Dan Pfeiffer, Mr Obama's spokesman.

The Republican candidate once gambled in a casino on an Indian reservation that he oversaw as chairman of the Senate Indian Affairs committee, with lobbyists who had represented that casino, according to the paper.

Former members of Mr McCain's staff said he indulged in a marathon session at the Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut in 2000 after he had lost the Republican presidential primary to George W Bush.

The casino is run by the Pequot tribe, which has contributed heavily to Mr McCain's campaigns and has transformed Foxwood into one of the world's largest casinos. He was accompanied by Rick Davis, his campaign manager, at the invitation of Scott Reed, Mr Davis' old boss and a McCain fundraiser who had done extensive lobbying work for the tribe.Comment:  For more on the subject, see The Facts About Indian Gaming.

Searching for Connecticut Indians

Indian Sites Struggle In Shadow Of CasinosIn the small museum, the statue of the diminutive Tantaquidgeon, who died in 2005 at age 106, stands near a portrait of Uncas, the 17th-century Mohegan sachem from whom she is descended. Her brother, the late Chief Harold Tantaquidgeon, painted the portrait. Family photographs hang over countless mementos of Gladys' travels throughout Indian Country during the 1930s and '40s.

"I think she's probably happier here," said tribal member Jason LaVigne, who oversees the place. Tens of thousands of people visit Mohegan Sun daily. Yet just 140, excluding school trips, passed through here from May through July. Some, particularly the Europeans, come seeking an "authentic" Indian site, LaVigne said. But most are local people who came here as children, often with Scout troops, and now want to relive the experience with their own kids.And:Across the street, residents of a trailer park for tribal members said they often encounter people searching for "real" Indians, having failed to find—or at least recognize—any at the casinos.

Garrett Kirwan, also descended from Uncas, said if you want to talk to an Indian, the last place to look is Foxwoods, owned by the Mashantucket Pequots, or the Sun. He is happy to talk, and to debunk stereotypes such as that all "casino Indians" are rich. That's true only of the leaders, he said.Comment:  For more on the subject, see The Facts About Indian Gaming.

How the Pequots got recognized

In response to Kaweah Guilty of Fraud, Russell Bates wrote:[T]he Pequots BOUGHT their recognition as a tribe from Congress.My response to Russ:

The only Indian gaming that existed in 1983 was bingo. That was five years before the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act passed. So I doubt the Pequots had much money to lobby Congress with, and casino developers had no reason to help them.

So they got recognition from Congress, but they didn't buy it. In fact, Congress recognized them to settle their land claims, not to pay them off for anything. Your mistake if you think otherwise.

Here, educate yourself about the Pequots' recognition:

Mashantucket Pequot TribeBy the time of the 1910 US Census, there were only 13 tribal members remaining on the reservation. In 1973, Elizabeth George (?-1973) died on the remaining 214-acre (0.87 km²) tract of forest that was the reservation. Her death left no one remaining on the land, and the federal government started the process to reclaim the land. Richard Arthur Hayward became the tribal chairman in 1975, and worked to gain federal recognition for the tribe. On October 18, 1983 (when President Reagan signed the Connecticut Indian Land Claims Settlement Act), the Mashantucket Pequot became the eighth American Indian tribe to gain federal recognition through congressional approval.Tribal Nation HistoryIn the early 1970s, tribal members began moving back to the Mashantucket reservation, hoping to restore their land base and community, develop economic self-sufficiency, and revitalize tribal culture. By the mid-1970s, tribal members had embarked on a series of economic ventures, in addition to instituting legal action to recover illegally seized land.

With the assistance of the Native American Rights Fund and the Indian Rights Association, the Tribe filed suit in 1976 against neighboring landowners to recover land that had been sold by the State of Connecticut in 1856. Seven years later the Pequots reached a settlement with the landowners, who agreed that the 1856 sale was illegal, and who joined the Tribe in seeking the state government's support. The state responded, and the Connecticut Legislature unanimously passed legislation to petition the federal government to grant tribal recognition to the Mashantucket Pequots and settle the claim. With help from the Connecticut delegation, the Mashantucket Pequot Indian Land Claims Settlement Act was enacted by the U.S. Congress and signed by President Reagan on Oct. 18, 1983.Federal Acknowledgment of the Mashantucket Pequot TribeRepresentative Nancy Johnson directly addressed the question of federal recognition in a House debate on the first version of the act:

"Recognition of an Indian tribe by act of Congress is admittedly an unusual procedure but it is essential in the settlement of a claim by Congress. Without this federal recognition, the United States, the State of Connecticut, and innocent landowners would remain vulnerable to future suits raised by groups purporting to be the Pequot Tribe. Whatever the merits of the federal recognition project administered by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, it should not stand as a bar to the designation by Congress of one of the principal parties to the settlement. Federal recognition is essential to a final settlement of the claims." (Congressional Record-House, March 22, 1983, p. 6445).Comment:  For more on the subject, see The Facts About Tribal Sovereignty.

Below:  A reveler at a Foxwoods party? No, a traditional Pequot Indian.

Foxwoods full of stereotypes?

In the comments on Indian Casino in Family Guy, a reader compared the Foxwoods Resort Casino to the fictitious "Geronimo's Palace." As he put it:FYI Rob...apparently you've never met a current "pequot" or been to their casino. Otherwise, you would get every single joke.My response:

It's true I've never been to Foxwoods, Anonymous. But I've been to a couple dozen Indian casinos and seen pictures of many more. I know the field.

In all the pictures I've seen of Foxwoods, there were never any totem poles, teepees, half-naked Indians, animatronic chiefs or braves, etc. Compared to that, your belief that I don't know Foxwoods isn't worth much. Show us the evidence, either in text or imagery, that the casino is full of such over-the-top stereotypes.

Really, it shouldn't be hard. I listed most of the stereotypes in the Family Guy episode. Just fill in the blanks. The casino shaped like giant teepees is a parody of _______. The employees wearing vests over their naked chests are parodies of _______. Etc.

In case you're like writer Russell Bates--incapable of doing your own research--I'll help you out. Here's a Google search on Foxwoods casino that shows shots of the exterior and interior. Which of these is remotely comparable to the excesses displayed in "The Son Also Draws"?

In fact, show me any Indian casino in the country that's decked out with such stereotypical images. Go ahead...we'll wait. Prove that there's some justification somewhere for this racist mocking of Indians.

As for meeting Pequots, I interviewed Pequot chairman Michael J. Thomas for a Casino Journal article once. Thomas didn't speak like Tonto or a New Age wannabe. The magazine's photos of him didn't show him wearing a headband, moccasins, or Pendleton bag.

Again, you've made a charge with zero evidence. You'll have to do better than that to repudiate one of my postings. Good luck proving you know more about Indian gaming than I do...you'll need it.

To read about other people who don't understand the concept of racist stereotyping, see South Park:  "Red Man's Greed."