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Quechan Tribal Leaders Ask Ancestors to Forgive Tribe for Casino Plans
The elders of the Quechan tribe in southwestern Arizona and California offered songs and prayers to their creator to forgive their tribe for thinking of constructing a casino facility on land they believe to be holy ground.
The $200 million worth casino and resort facility is to be constructed south of Interstate 8 in Andrade, California on the Fort Yuma-Quechan Land Reservation.
While the leaders of the tribe support the construction of the gambling casino because they believe it will help revitalize the economy of the tribe, some of the members of the Quechan tribe believe that the whole idea is not right.
Five members of the tribes were arrested just last month after they protested the casino idea by building a ceremonial sweat lodge, a dome shape sauna hut, in which a fire is built inside to create heat.
On June 30, 2007, the tribal leaders held ceremonies near the proposed casino location to heal the location and appeal to their creator for forgiveness.
Tribal elder, Vernon Smith, said that the construction crew has removed soil from the Pilot Knob Mountain after promising that it would not be harmed. The construction crew harmed their very heart and soul and the tribe's bond with the mountain.
They have decided that the healing process should start now. Smith and 2 other tribal elders, Preston Arrow-Weed and Milton Jefferson Sr., commented that building the casino on what is considered sacred land angers their creator and their ancestors.
Arrow-Weed said that they are not opposed to the casino idea, but they believe that it is being built in the wrong place.
The 3 elders said that they represent a growing number of Quechan tribe elders that are getting disappointed that their tribal leaders do not consult their knowledge of the culture and history of the tribe before making important decisions, like the location of the tribe's casino.
Tribal chief, Mike Jackson, did not comment on the matter, but previously, he said that the Quechan tribe already conducted a cultural study on the location and is taking the necessary steps to protect the tribal artifacts that are there.
Wednesday, August 01 , 2007
Victor Copeland