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THURSDAY, MARCH 20, 2003

"When some of the luckier Indian tribes struck it rich with lucrative casinos, the snake oil salesmen and women came out of the woodwork.

Many tribal leaders, inexperienced in the ways of the profiteers, allowed their tribes to become involved in get-rich-quick schemes intended only to line the pockets of the presenters. Most tribal leaders have come a long way since then in knowing the ways of the professional rip-off artists.

Those who would find ways to separate the tribes from their money are still out there. They show up on Pine Ridge and other reservations several times a year with their promises of easy wealth for the tribes. As a matter of fact, my newspaper, Lakota Journal, has just exposed a couple of these questionable business ventures.

Reminds me of a saying attributed to Gen. Tecumseh Sherman. He supposedly said, 'An Indian reservation is a piece of land set aside for the exclusive use of the Indian people that is surrounded by thieves.'"

Get the Story:
Tim Giago: Watch Out For That Person Wielding A Bottle Of Snake Oil (The Yankton Press & Dakotan 3/20)

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