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FEBRUARY 9, 2001

George Tiger, spokesperson for the Miami Nation of Oklahoma, on Thursday said the tribe's 2.6 million acre land claim is about treaty rights not a casino.

The tribe last year filed its claim to the Illinois land but Tiger said the governor's office brought up the idea of settling the claim for a casino. According to Tiger, Chief Floyd Leonard didn't say a casino was the tribe's goal but would be considered as "one of the negotiation points."

"From that day on, it's always: 'Tribe wants casino in Illinois," said Tiger. Tiger made his remarks at an American Indian Chamber of Commerce luncheon in Tulsa.

The tribe filed the land claim against 15 randomly chosen private landowners because the state of Illinois didn't exist, said Tiger. Tiger says the tribe is willing to negotiate with the state.

Thomas C. Wilmont Sr., a New York deveoloper, has said he was paying for most of the tribe's lawsuit as a business investment.

Related Stories:
Miami Nation presses forth with land claim (Tribal Law 10/18)
Senator: Tribe must play by the rules (Tribal Law 07/26)