by Carol Shaw-Sutton

Created on: January 22, 2009

I know someone who works closely with Native Americans and told me that casinos have seriously undermined the way of life of the Native American. Half of my family members are also Native American, so I am well-acqainted with the issues concerning this subject. This can be exemplified in various ways, which I will write about in detail.

First of all, many Native Americans are replacing what was once even remotely spiritual or meaningful, with a debauched lifestyle. This is not to say that Native Americans are supposed to be more spiritual in the sense we stereotype them as, but the elders have definitely seen a grave change, in fact, many of the elder Natives think the Native Americans are worse off than ever.

Many of them in the United States now spend their lives doing nothing but taking drugs and drinking, and most tribes have an extensive list of members with criminal histories. In some casinos, the Native Americans in charge have even been dismissed (at least for the time being) for having drug habits. Another story I heard was that one Native American spends his entire day strung out on drugs while rocking back and forth in the same spot all day and night. This is what a newfound access to limitless drugs and alcohol are doing to a group of people who were already ravaged by substance abuse in the first place. In addition, I've heard that some Natives are even creating "meth labs" underground on their reservations.

Why would a group of people with so much money resort to this? Let me ask you this: If most people, regardless of race or background, suddenly have access to a lot more money than they've ever had in their lifetime, would they know what to do with it? Look at all of the Lotto winners who are now bankrupt and lost all of their family and friends as one example.

Another negative aspect is that casinos are causing an atmosphere of greed. Tribes are trying to cut off as many members as they can so that only a few can benefit from a larger pool of money. This is causing battles over land and rights, and also causing enmity among people and tribes who were once friends. There is one casino nearby that is currently under threat of being shut down due to the constant fights of tribal members. Native Americans who cannot own a casino due to their isolated locations also feel that it is unfair to them to not receive any benefits. While this may seem like a small negative factor, think of how you would feel if your neighbours were getting rich for being of

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