A bipartisan group of U.S. House of Representatives members recently introduced the Catawba Indian Nation Lands Act, H.R. 8255, in support of the Catawba Indian Nation’s Catawba Two Kings Casino Resort in Kings Mountain, North Carolina. The legislation reaffirms the U.S. Department of the Interior ruling last March to take into trust 17 acres in Cleveland County, 35 miles from Charlotte, for a casino. The development is expected to create thousands of construction jobs and 4,000 permanent jobs when the venue opens.
Catawba Nation Chief Bill Harris said, “The newly introduced legislation demonstrates the ongoing support from members of Congress in righting historical wrongs against the Catawba people. We are pleased that this legislation will reaffirm the Interior Department’s action recognizing the Catawba Nation’s historical and ancestral ties to the lands in Kings Mountain, North Carolina. These are the lands of not just our ancestors, but also the hundreds of Catawba citizens that reside there today.”
Ground was broken for the $273 million casino in July and it’s expected to be completed next year. The Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians, who operate two casinos in Western North Carolina, have filed suit to block the Catawba project, calling it “a modern-day land grab.” The Catawbas claim they have rights to the land due to a 1993 agreement that granted the tribe federal recognition and designated a 6-county service area.
Also this summer, the Catawbas began compact negotiations with North Carolina that would permit Las Vegas-style gaming at the casino.
U.S. Representatives who introduced the bill were Democrats G.K. Butterfield, Jim Clyburn, Joe Cunningham, Alma Adams and David Price; and Republicans William Timmons, Dan Bishop and Joe Wilson.
Harris explained the two kings in the casino’s name are King Hagler and the city of Kings Mountain. He said King Hagler, chief of the Catawbas in the mid-1700s, was “the greatest leader of our nation.” Harris added, “Two Kings also represents our tribe’s long history of working with those around us, which King Hagler made a central part of his leadership.” He added “two kings” also applies to gambling because “a pair of kings is a great hand,” Harris said.
The casino’s new logo, designed by the Catawbas’ gaming partner, Delaware North, features a silhouette of King Hagler against an image of Kings Mountain.
