Meeting scheduled on Brownsville gaming
BROWNSVILLE – A meeting is scheduled for Monday between representatives of the Six Nations Confederacy and the Pennsylvania Governor’s Office to discuss Native American gaming in Brownsville. Gov. Mark Schweiker’s spokesman, David La Torre Tuesday confirmed the upcoming meeting, saying it would not involve the governor himself.
“They requested the meeting. We’re going to listen to whatever they have to say, but we’ve told them we aren’t going to consider any gaming compacts until they have a federally recognized tribe in Pennsylvania,” La Torre said.
La Torre said that to his knowledge there are no provisions in the Native American Gaming Law that allow for casinos in states that do not already contain a Native American Reservation, and the gaming is permitted only on the reservation lands.
Brownsville Mayor Norma Ryan said the borough has been left out of the loop.
“I think it would be more appealing to this community if we were invited to be there,” Ryan said.
David Moses, a spokesman for the Six Nations of the Grand River council, said that the official elected council is not involved in the current discussions with Pennsylvania for gaming in Brownsville. There had been talks in the past involving council members who were not re-elected in a tribal election last November.
“The council is the elected government,” Moses said. “The confederacy is the traditional government. They used to run the reserve until 1924 when the Royal Canadian Mounted Police forcibly removed them. A lot of people still follow the traditional government ways, but the council receives all the government funding.”
Moses said the Six Nations Confederacy has never conceded the change in leadership for the tribe.
“They have always stipulated that they’ve never given up title to the land,” Moses said. “The confederacy may have these things going on, but because the council isn’t involved, we don’t have much to say at this time.”
Moses said that the council is not in the process of seeking any land claims in Pennsylvania.
Six Nations of the Grand River Councilor David General, who last year brought attention to the proposed Brownsville casino project pursued by the council at that time said he’s not even sure if the council officials are aware of the current discussions.
“I know one thing, it’s not the Six Nations elected council. I guess someone is trying to come at it from a different angle,” General said. “I’m looking forward to seeing what the confederacy has to say about this, since their name has been involved.”
General said the council is still trying to determine how much the previous Brownsville casino discussions cost the tribe. One invoice from the law firm Jackson and Kelly of West Virginia came to nearly $12,000 for work in July and August of 2000 related to developing an Indian casino in Pennsylvania. General last fall said at least $419,000 had been spent on the project, which had been under discussion for about 18 months prior to last September.
Richard Schiff, the acting chief of staff for the National Indian Gaming Commission, said the only inquiries he’s received about Indian gaming in Pennsylvania have come from the media recently.
“We haven’t had any inquiries from tribes,” Schiff said.
Schiff noted that by statute, Indian gaming is only permitted by a tribe that is federally recognized and would have to take place on Indian lands. The Bureau of Indian Affairs does not have any jurisdiction over, and therefore does not recognize, Canadian tribes, according to a BIA spokeswoman. BIA officials Tuesday could not say whether the Six Nations Confederacy had made inquiries related to federal recognition or land claims in Pennsylvania.