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Native Casino In today’s era, Native Americans are faced with hardships when living on their own reservations, for there is little to no possible revenue for these tribes. Having little income usually results in leaving the reservation for modern cities in order to earn income. Thus was coined the idea of having casinos on Native American reservations, so the tribes could have incoming revenue.

The Seminole Tribe of Florida was the first Tribe to own a casino on their reservation land. Having this facility brought much revenue to the tribe and is to this day a very efficient means of earning revenue. Being able to have continuous revenue helps tribes to build other facilities they need, for instance clinics or hospitals. Continuous revenue benefits the tribe as a whole because they are able to give money to their tribal members.

Forms of gambling have been present in almost every society throughout history. The concept of casinos originated when societies decided to dedicate entire facilities exclusively to gambling. Also, over time consuming alcohol has become intimately ties to the concept of gambling. From there, the intricacies of adding to the hotel have initiated. Adding hotels for excessively drunk gamblers to stay the night, restaurants to keep gamblers from leaving, and, finally, ending with making the facility into some sort of a resort. Not all casinos turn out this way, but it is the over-all goal for many owners.

 So being a part of one of the nation’s largest Native American tribes I do realize the benefits of owning a Native Casino on our reservation. Yet, I have concern for the problems itcould potentially cause for the Navajo Tribe. Such benefits or problems would be the geographic location of the potential casino. When the Navajo Nation was first weighing the idea of owning a Navajo casino, chapter houses (communal meeting areas within the Navajo Nation) would put their areas down for possible locations to place the casino. My own chapter house, the Upper Fruitland chapter house, was the one chosen, for it had the best location. All other chapters were some what in the middle of nowhere and were relatively inaccessible to potential markets, the Upper Fruitland area however, boarders the reservation and is close to non-reservation towns.

Unfortunately revenue is not the only thing the casino will bring to the reservation. More people will be there in general (including many drunks and addicts of all sorts), turning the once quiet highway into a congested road. On the other hand having the casino built has given the tribal leaders an incentive to repair damaged roads and to pave new roads. Everything said thus far has been based off of the need to sustain the Navajo people in todays modern age. So when it comes to cultural practices, this is just one more thing that will deter us further away from our Navajo traditions.

Based on the geographical location, the casino should attract non-native people to the casino. However, because it is so accessible to natives, the majority of the profit made through the casino is from native people. In addition, having a casino on a reservation is almost a contradiction in itself. Back when reservations were being formed, there were numerous laws within treaties that stated what Native Americans could or could not have on the reservation, one being alcohol. So to have a casino with alcohol is not in the best interest of the Navajo people since the majority of consumers will be Native Americans. In other words, the Navajo Casino’s primary revenue source would be from within the Navajo Nation’s own borders. The Navajo Nation would be taking money from a large portion of the Native population and putting it in the hands of a small minority within the Navajo Nation itself.

The building and owning of casinos is a cultural practice that is needed throughout Native American Tribes. There are many positive aspects when it comes to owning casinos and, of course, downfalls to owning such facilities. Nevertheless, casinos are still very helpful. As long as tribes understand the reason for the casino and do not abuse its existence, it will bring much needed help to the tribe itself. Native Americans should also keep in mind that as long as reservations become more modernized, they should still try hard to keep their Native Culture alive and strong.

Grades Why are grades so critical and important? If one were to ask an educator, he or she may respond with “it’s a way to measure achievement.” Yet letter grades do not seem to be the best method when depicting progress; especially when it comes to elementary students.

 Kindergarten to fifth grade is one of the most critical stages in one’s life. That is when one learns the basics of socializing and his or her societal norms. At these stages letter grades are the last item on elementary students’ youthful minds. In Cary Clack’s article, “Grades Not Full Gauge of Talent,” the author talks about a fifth grade girl who has a very difficult time receiving rarely anything higher than a “C” in school. This girl went on to be a famous writer whose works are widely known, however, she did not have “good” grades to start off with. This writer is the perfect example of being able to achieve great things in one’s life, even with receiving poor grades in elementary.

Letter grades are not an adequate method to measure academic achievement for elementary students. At these early and fragile stages of life, elementary students need to be consistently told positive things that will not undermine their mentality. By the time grades are a huge factor in his/her academic success he/she will have the right mentality about letter grades.

Contested Navajo Casino A year ago, when entering the Navajo Reservation on the N36 highway, one would come across modest looking Navajo homes. Some of these families have been living on these lands for generations, whereas others live there because of how peaceful it is. When traveling on N36, it does seem quiet and almost content like. The road itself gives an almost lethargic feel since it is never busy or congested for a two lane highway. However, for the past nine moths the Navajo government has been building a casino in Upper Fruitland near the N36 highway and for some this is not a good thing.

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">In the February 9th, 2010 issue of the Daily Times Newspaper in Farmington New Mexico, there was an article about the upcoming casino on the neighboring reservation land. Alysa Landry, the author of the article, explained that compared to other Native Tribes, the Navajo Nation was “late” when it came to “joining the gaming industry” (1). She also stated that up until 2004, the Navajo Nation was continuously voting against “gaming on the reservation” (1). Further reading of the article indicated that the casino would “likely include a hotel and cost between $70 million and $80 million to construct” (Winter as cited in Landry 2).

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">The home owners and residents around this area are the ones who will suffer more than anyone else. They are the ones who have to put up with the constant construction, the now even busier highway and noise that arises from this casino area. These are but a few of the problems that residents have, and the casino has yet to officially open. When it does, then it will bring more people to the area, along with more negative problems. A few of the negative problems would be deterrence away from tradition or drinking and driving.

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> In another article Landry wrote, she had interviewed a Keith Johns, who told her that “More casinos also means a greater social impact, both positive and negative… Although entertainment venues and an economic boost are needed in the local market, casinos may not provide the needed balance between jobs and social health” (Johns as cited in Landry). Johns has even recognized that with all these casinos being built, it’s not always good for the people around them.

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Even if no one put up any kind of a struggle against the idea of this casino in the initial stages of its creation, it did not mean that nobody cared. Navajo residents most likely figured out quicker than I did that there were more pro’s than con’s. No matter the difference of opinions that are, this casino will help the Navajo Nation in the long run. It will bring revenue and also create hundreds of jobs for the Navajo people. As long as the Navajo people can learn to integrate their culture along with their modern lives, then there will be no need to worry about losing our Navajo traditions.

<span style="display: block; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;">Works Cited <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Landry, Alysa. "Upper Fruitland eyed for casino." //All Business//. A D&B Company, 9 Feb. 2010. Web. 15 Oct. 2011. <http://www.allbusiness.com/entertainment-arts/amusements-gaming-gaming/13893018-1.html>. 1-2. <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Landry, Alysa. "Playing The Odds: Local casino industry raises the stakes." //The Daily Times//. Media News Group, 18 Dec. 2010. Web. 15 Oct. 2011. <http://www.daily-times.com/ci_16895914?IADID=Search-www.daily-times.com-www.daily-times.com>.