Dreamcatcher 003 Dec 2009 by Dreamcatcher Magazine

OKLAHOMA

CAS I NOS

I N D I A N N AT I O N S

DEC

Scupture of the First Council Newkirk, OK

E N T E R TA I N M E N T

C U LT U R E

EVENTS

SEASON’S

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DEC

Cover: Sculpture of the First Council Casino by Oreland Joe (Navajo/Ute) Photograph by Lester Harragarra This page: Photograph by Drake Sorey

4 F O R M E R LY

Oklahoma Casinos & Entertainment DECEMBER 2009 3101 N Flood Ave Norman, OK 73069 405-360-8805 405-360-2228 FAX info@dreamcatchermag.net James T. Lambertus, Publisher james@dreamcatchermag.net Advertising Inquiries: ads@dreamcatchermag.net Letters & Editorial Submissions: edit@dreamcatchermag.net Laurie Haigh, Operations Manager laurie@dreamcatchermag.net Linda Maisch, Managing Editor linda@dreamcatchermag.net N AT I V E A M E R I C A N OW N E D

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FIRST COUNCIL C

Located in near the Kansas-Oklahoma border, the Otoe-Missouria Tribe built the First Council Casino with a dual purpose: to serve the tribal community and casino guests. The economic benefit to the tribal community was a driving force in the construction of this 64,000 square feet gaming facility, but the secondary benefit is equally important.

L CASINO

BY KENNE THA GREENWOOD

PHOTOGRAPHS BY LESTER HARRAGARRA

For the Otoe-Missouria tribe, who do not yet have a tribal museum, this facility presentÂ ed the opportunity to showcase aspects of the living culture in an engaging and exciting environment. Like many tribes, casinos have become an important point of interaction for visitors who may not otherwise be familiar with the tribal culture. The tribal leaders endeavored to provide their guests with an entertaining and educational experience during their visits. Âś For the local communities of north central Oklahoma, where there are several gaming opportunities, cultural engagement begins very early upon arriving at the property. What many may not realize is First Council, the name of the casino, is tied to a historical moment for the tribe. It references the 1804 meeting between the tribe and the Lewis and Clark expedition near present day Council Bluffs, Nebraska.

700+ SLOT MACHINES, A POKER ROOM, AND 8 BLACKJACK TABLES

At that point, the explorers had not encountered any Natives on their journey along the Missouri River. As the Otoe-Missouria tribes became aware of their pre-sence, emissaries entered the camp to offer welcome gifts of watermelons—and also to ascertain the visitors’ purpose. The following day, the tribal chiefs returned for the first council.

¶ This overt reference is depicted in a sculptural installation made

by Oreland Joe (Navajo/Ute), who was asked to work with the tribe because of his previous experience depicting this scene for the historical site in Nebraska. Through contacts with tribal members, he created the scene with careful attention paid to the accuracy of details. As visitors enter the casino, they pass this installation and are able to walk around it as if participating with this life-size scale historical moment.

COUNCIL BLUFFS BUFFE T RESTAURANT OFFERS DEL ICIOUS DINING

Lewis and Clark are depicted meeting with two figures, one figure standing in for the Otoe tribal leaders and one for the Missouria tribal leaders, also in attendance are the translator and the expedition dog which are sitting off to the side. ¶ Also a significant part of the welcome experience is the incorporation of the use of the tribal seal, lending visual representation of the tribe’s seven clans on the entrance signage. ¶ While most visitors are drawn for the gaming, tribal members perceived this as an opportunity to represent their history and tribal aesthetics. With the historical reference in the casino name and the entrance installation as a welcome, visitors are invited to appreciate the Woodlands design patterns throughout the facility. The Otoe-Missouria tribes came from the Great Lakes area prior to their migration to the area around the Platte River.

ART INSTALLAT ION OF LEWIS & CLARK MEE T ING TR IBAL LEADERS

The design elements are often used to reference the tribe’s historical presence in the area around the Great Lakes through the use of floral and geometrically organized designs. These designs continue to be found in the traditional regalia and cultural materials that tribal members use in their contemporary cultural events. These visual resources were the inspiration for the designs incorporated into the casino interior design. ¶ As a visual experience intended to provide viewers a way of becoming familiar with the tribe’s distinct designs, they pervade the casino. As with most American Indian tribes, specific visual references serve as connections to events or stories for members and may even have a personal meaning. Certain designs may even be used as a way of remembering family and tribal histories. ¶ This intimacy with visual materials as a source for remembering tribal identity motivated the participating tribal members and consultants to seriously consider all design choices. Every detail was given consideration for its potential in this expressive application. Design patterns are incorporated throughout the establish ment—in every application, large and small. This visual saturation gives the casino its unique ambience. ¶ Tribal members wanted to share their culture by incorporating their traditional language. The opportunity to see the Siouxan linguistic dialect that bonds the Otoe-Missouria community is provided through the signage throughout the property, and these references remind visitors of the linguistic diversity found in the Oklahoma Native American community.

COOL R IVER LOUNGE 25

POKER ROOM

For the Otoe-Missouria tribe, their language is on the verge of extinction as the last fluent speaker has died within the year. These signs are an opportunity to see the language in use and the tribe’s efforts to revitalize it. ¶ Along a rise in the distance, to the north of the property, is an installation by artist Cha Tullis (Blackfoot) depicting a buffalo hunt. Even this is a reference to the Lewis and Clark expedition encounter; in their notes, the explorers noted the absence of the Natives— they were unaware that they had arrived during buffalo hunting season and the tribal members were following the herds in preparation for the winter. Seeing that hunt in the distance also references the tribe’s continuing quest to provide for their community. ¶ Within this culturally described space, the casino offers a range of entertainment opportunities. Guests can choose from over 700 slot machines, a poker room, and eight blackjack tables—soon to be expanded to include a high-stakes room with 98 more games for the more prestigious player. A built-in stage features nightly musical performances, and the casino will erect a tent for special events, like mixed martial arts and large concerts. Plans for aading a hotel are under way. Finally, for delicious and satisfying dining, there is Council Bluffs Buffet. ¶ First Council offers guests a complete and unique casino experience, with excellent food, and great music. For the OtoeMissouria community, First Council offers an opportunity to share the richness of their culture and a permanent place to represent them in the state’s growing cultural tourism industry. HT TP://WWW.MYF IRSTWIN.COM

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POKER

HOLIDAY GIFT BOOK Cowboys Full: The Story of Poker

By James McManus (Farrar, Straus & Giroux) A satisfying, useful overview—given poker’s popularity, this is sure to be a prominent book this holiday season. —k i r k u s r e v i e w s Poker now has what must surely be its definitive history in this excellent, comprehensive account of the game. —p u b l i s h e r s w e e k ly For almost two hundred years, poker has been America’s favorite game. In “Cowboys Full: The Story of Poker,” James McManus vividly illustrates the connections between poker, politics, and our national spirit. More than a traditional poker book, Cowboys Full offers a funny and fascinating tale of poker, presidents, famous swindles, old lore, and games with spies, cowboys, and gangsters—not to a mention a few sharps, fish, and railbirds. McManus’s examination of poker includes the history of steamboats, American trade, and westward expansion, with stops along the way for Wild Bill Hickock’s last hand, the 1919 World Series, and the poker game the night before Winston Churchill’s famous Sinews of Peace address. Presidents from Lincoln to FDR to Obama have played poker. Eisenhower and Nixon both got their political starts

with money they won playing poker, and they, as well as others in power, have relied on bluffing when faced with nuclear threats. Poker’s influence reaches beyond politics. It has surged across college campuses—not in dorm rooms and fraternity basements, but also in the classrooms. Poker is used to teach strategic thinking, geopolitical analysis, risk assessment, and money management. It has infiltrated American literature (Mark Twain’s The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County and The Professor’s Yarn, Bret Harte’s The Outcasts of Poker Flats) and film (House of Games, The Sting, A Big Hand for the Little Lady, The Cincinnati Kid, A Streetcar Named Desire), and permeates our language (FDR’s “New Deal,” Truman’s “the buck stops here” and “let the chips fall where they may”). “Whatever the variant,” McManus writes, “what used to be mainly a cheating contest is now, for better or worse, at the heart of our on-again-off-again romance with market democracy. More than politics, warfare, business, or physical sports, poker has become the arena in which men and women of every race and background compete on the most equal footing . . . No other arena is nearly as inclusive. America has long been a melting pot, and its favorite card game—some say its national pastime—has become a crucible in which folks from all over the planet find themselves welcome contenders.”

dreamcatcher magazine December 2009:KawLake_012209

11/17/2009

12:20 PM

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