The opening in April of the 0 million Ilani Casino Resort near La Center, Washington is a life-changing event for members of the Cowlitz Indian Tribe.
In an article that appeared in the Columbian last week tribal member Dave Barnett, 56, whose business card lists him as “founder,” declares, “It makes me feel like I started it, because I did. I wanted that on there because it’s like raising a child — 18 years.”
Barnett described to editor Greg Jayne how he led the fight for federal recognition for the tribe beginning in 1999, oversaw the purchase of the land near La Center, helped plan the casino and witnessed the many federal court battles where the tribe’s right to a reservation was confirmed. This allowed the tribe to join 22 other gaming tribes in Washington who operate 32 casinos.
Now that the casino is attracting upwards of 10,000 visitors a day, it is joining other tribes that will be transformed by the power of Indian gaming.
The Cowlitz tribe has about 4,000 members whose health care, eldercare and scholarships will be assisted by money from the casino.
As Donald Ivy, chief of the Coquille Indian Tribe in Oregon, observed recently in a Public Broadcasting documentary, “Broken Treaties,” “Tribes have been able to enter into a socio-economic environment where they have brought something to the table.”
Barnett adds, “It puts us on an equal footing with our local government. It gives us an economic engine where we can provide for ourselves and not be reliant on anybody else. We were hopeful for that 160 years ago when we were removed from our land and told we couldn’t be there and were dispersed.”
