This essay reveals conflicts and taboos that people have toward Native Americans and casinos. The writer gives an open view by approaching an impartial standpoint. He gives us most, if not all, the information to make our own judgments about the Foxwoods Casino in Ledyards, Connecticut.
The first thing that surprised me was the history and how much the Native American fight to keep their territory. It doesn’t surprise me when the Natives get upset when the “non-natives” talk about “land grants”. Modern people neglect the fact that Native Americans were living in America first, and then the Europeans came and conquered. Till this day, it amazes me how Native Americans persevered for so long, but it does not surprise me that they earned the status of “true warriors”. Although we are taught that the Europeans took full advantage of the situation, it is in our nature to do the same in terms of ownership. History does not teach us to learn from our mistakes, but to be aware that it had happened and that it still happens. It is unrealistic to think today we are infallible of doing the same because we carry the same burden of being human altogether.
The second thing is how people stereotype the Native American people “wearing low-cut tops and mini-loincloths and have headbands and feathers in their hair.” I am sure that some people nowadays still think the same thing. Although the tradition of the typical stereotype is more practiced through pow wows and traditional ceremonies, most Native Americans are modern as well.
The region discussed in this article has become more of a commercial attraction and it is sad that people go there for the gambling and shopping, but are naïve to the meaning behind the scene. They buy souvenirs that first are made in China, and secondly, they are used only for their decorative function, and thirdly, these “artifacts represent other Native cultures as their own [the Pequots].”
I really like the quote at the end that says: “We are what we imagine…our very existence consists in our imagination of ourselves…the greatest tragedy that can befall us is to go unimagined.”
Questions:
1. How important is the awareness of someone about the history of a region?
2. Why are the symbols/representations so important in our everyday life?
3. How far is a person willing to go in order to gain power upon others?
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