Mescalero Apache Nation against Fort Sill Apache casino plan

Wednesday, November 30, 2011  

The Fort Sill Apache Tribe of Oklahoma should not be allowed to open a casino in southern New Mexico, the Mescalero Apache Nation says.

Ancestors of the Fort Sill Apache Tribe lived in New Mexico. But that doesn't mean their descendants should return, the leader of the Mescalero Apache Nation says.

"The members of Fort Sill have not demonstrated even the slightest inclination towards settling on their trust land at Akela Flats," President Mark Chino told the New Mexico Legislature's Interim Indian Affairs Committee in August, The Ruidoso News reported.

The Fort Sill Apache Tribe owns 30 acres of trust land near Deming, about 139 miles from Mescalero Apache headquarters. The Bureau of Indian Affairs has declared the land to be a reservation.

Get the Story:
Chino: Mescalero tribe opposes designation (The Ruidoso News 11/30)

Federal Register Notice:
Proclaiming Certain Lands as Reservation for the Fort Sill Apache Indian Tribe (November 28, 2011)

Related Stories:
Fort Sill Apache Tribe hopes to stimulate economy with casino (11/29)
Fort Sill Apache Tribe to discuss plan for casino on reservation (11/28)
Fort Sill Apache Tribe closer to opening casino in New Mexico (11/23)