Power in the Telling: Grand Ronde, Warm Springs, and Intertribal Relations in the Casino Era

by Brook Colley, David G. Lewis (Foreword by), Coll Thrush (Editor), Charlotte Coté (Editor)

Overview

From 1998 through 2013, the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs sought to develop a casino in Cascade Locks, Oregon. This prompted objections from the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, who already operated a lucrative casino in the region. Brook Colley’s in-depth case study unravels the history of this disagreement and challenges the way conventional media characterizes intertribal casino disputes in terms of corruption and greed. Instead, she locates these conflicts within historical, social, and political contexts of colonization.

Through extensive interviews, Colley brings to the forefront Indigenous perspectives on intertribal conflict related to tribal gaming. She reveals how casino economies affect the relationship between gaming tribes and federal and state governments, and the repercussions for the tribes themselves. Ultimately, Colley’s engaging examination explores strategies for reconciliation and cooperation, emphasizing narratives of resilience and tribal sovereignty.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780295743363
Publisher:	University of Washington Press
Publication date:	05/01/2018
Series:	Indigenous Confluences
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	224
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Brook Colley (Wasco/Eastern Cherokee, Enrolled Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians) is assistant professor of Native American studies at Southern Oregon University.

Table of Contents

Foreword David G. Lewis ix

Preface: They Tell Their Own Stories xiii

Acknowledgments xix

Chapter 1 At the Place Where the Cascades Fall 3

Chapter 2 There Is Power in the Telling: Oregon Tribal Histories 26

Chapter 3 Out of the Blue Someone Said, "Well, Let's Build a Casino" 51

Chapter 4 Tribal Casino Discourse: "Who Tells the Story Is a Mighty Piece of Information" 70

Chapter 5 A Risky and Uncertain Business: The Case of Cascade Locks 95

Chapter 6 Intertribal Relations and Conflict in the Casino Era 121

Chapter 7 At the Kitchen Table: Gathering across Difference 147

Notes 159

Bibliography 183

Index 195

What People are Saying About This

David E. Wilkins

Brook Colley's timely study is an incisive examination of the challenges and opportunities afforded Native nations by the casino economy. Her focus on the interactions between the Grand Ronde and Warm Springs peoples, both located within the boundaries of present-day Oregon, provides a useful perspective on the causes and consequences of inter-tribal conflicts over gaming.

Tom Biolsi

The politics of tribal gaming traffics in stereotypes. Brook Colley’s convincing book finds not 'greed,' but the struggle for Native survival in the face of settler colonialism.

Cornell Pewewarty

Brook Colley brings a dynamic voice to researchers who have much to offer in terms of their rich cultural heritages and craft wisdom in decolonizing methodologies. The book draws on Colley’s extensive experience teaching about decolonization and offers a concise reference foreducators, activists, and artists committed to insurgent research and praxis.

Editorial Reviews

Power in the Telling is a unique contribution to Native American studies, and its audience includes not just scholars and students in this field but also Native communities and their allies. . . . By moving from scholarly analysis to concrete recommendations, Power in the Telling provides Native nations with incisive strategies for working together in pursuit of revitalization.

-- "H-AmIndian"

Readers will close the book with new appreciation for the transformative potential--disempowering and liberatory alike--of casino-era relations. The empirical and programmatic force of this book affirms that, indeed, there is "power in the telling."

-- "NAIS Journal"

From the Publisher

"Readers will close the book with new appreciation for the transformative potential—disempowering and liberatory alike—of casino-era relations. The empirical and programmatic force of this book affirms that, indeed, there is “power in the telling.”"

NAIS Journal