Trust land at 1321 North Callow Avenue in Bremerton, Washington. Image from Google Maps
The Samish Nation of Washington isn't interested in a casino on a remote allotment, the tribe's attorney said in a guest post on Turtle Talk. The 0.79-acre allotment at 1321 North Callow Avenue in Bremerton was placed in trust for Roberta Law Ross sometime in the 1920s. Her descendants, who are enrolled Samish, have approached the tribe with plans for a casino at the site. "The Samish Tribe has repeatedly declined the family’s request to pursue this project in Bremerton," attorney Craig Dorsay wrote in the post. "Bremerton is not within or near the traditional territory of the Samish Tribe, and the land in question has never been under the governmental jurisdiction of the Samish Tribe." The project faces legal uncertainty because the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act requires a tribe to exercise "governmental power" over a potential gaming site. Samish headquarters are 144 miles from the allotment. Dorsay suggested that the Suquamish Tribe -- whose headquarters are about 24 miles way -- might have a stronger claim to jurisdiction. In the past, the tribe issued permits to the family for a fireworks stand at the site. "The Samish Tribe has informed the Suquamish Tribe that it is not part of this project and has no interest in being associated with it in any shape or form," Dorsay wrote. Ross was a part of the Quinault Nation when she was issued the allotment Get the Story:
Brief Guest Post from Craig Dorsay on the Proposed Casino in Bremerton, WA (Turtle Talk 9/26)
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