In the 1980s, LCO became nationally known when two brothers from the rez went spear-fishing on the Chippewa Flowage, initiating several years of violence at boat landings between native and non-natives over the right of Ojibwa to harvest fish in ceded territory, rights ultimately upheld by the courts in 1983. And with the passage of the Indian Gaming Act in 1988, tribes began acquiring the money and power to extricate themselves from the depths of poverty and oppression. In 2012, 410 Indian casinos nationwide took in nearly $30 billion in revenue, according to the National Indian Gaming Commission. That equated to 45 percent of all casino gambling in the country, including Las Vegas. Which is why it seemed that an appropriate venue for a Columbus Day celebration was a casino, where Indian people, while they cannot rewrite their history of pain and subjugation, are upending Columbus’ legacy. The LCO Casino and Convention center overspreads half a dozen acres about five miles outside of Hayward, the reputed “Muskie Capital of the World.” Though it is neither as large nor as rich as the Mystic Lake casino in Minnesota or Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut, both of which have made millionaires of tribal members, the modest LCO facility has changed the lives of its Ojibwa inhabitants.Get the Story:
David McGrath: Casinos help rejuvenate Native American culture (The Duluth News Tribune 10/14)
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