Foxwoods Casino and the Pequot Tribe
Casinos
Aug 8, 2000, 15:10
By M. Wilson Staff
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Jeff Benedict's book, Without Reservation: The Making of America's Most Powerful Indian Tribe and Foxwoods, the World's Largest Casino, certainly throws your perspective into different aim. This book, which came out in April by Harpercollins, examines the legitimacy of the operation of Foxwoods, run by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation of Connecticut. Benedict's investigation suggests that the tribe's recognition, which seems to have been fast-tracked through Congress instead of going the excruciatingly slow, years-long route of waiting on official acknowledgement by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, is in question. Highly in question. While the first thing that leaps to mind is that the premise of this controversial writing may be just playing on the public's favorite monsters, prejudice and jealousy -- jealousy of such a rich and immense enterprise -- the careful writing makes you think again. Benedict acquitted himself favorably in his earlier book on the NFL, Pros and Cons, in which hard fact is clearly the foundation of his work. Suppose -- just suppose -- the Pequots should not have gained official recognition. The casino would have to be sold to another Indian nation ... or perhaps turned into an airport! In hindsight, the haste the tribal leaders acted in to get official status in order to launch Foxwoods seems distinctly unwise. The mills of the Bureau of Indian Affairs turn slowly, but they grind exceedingly fine. The tribe should have taken the slow way.
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