Caught In The Middle
Casino Caught In The Middle Of Tribal Dispute
A proposed Pasco casino or water park caught in the middle of tribal homeland struggle. The Yakama Nation is against the plans of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation to design a specific area in Pasco for a proposed casino, water park, and any other project.
The land dispute is escalating quickly, and Pasco city officials have been ordered to put a stop to any talks with Colville about any casino development plans. The reason for this is that reports suggest that the land belongs to other tribes.
The Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation issued a statement and sent a letter to Mayor Saul Martinez and City Manager Dave Zabell calling the actions of Colville as a shady means to gain rights to the ground.
“This is the Yakama Nation’s notice to the City of Pasco that we object to the Colville’s attempt to lay any claim within the open and unclaimed lands of our Treaty Territory,” said the letter. “We stand firm in our position that the Colville’s do not belong in Yakama Nation ancestral territories, and we remain prepared to oppose this development at every level.”
The letter comes less than 60 days after the Confederated Tribes and Pasco City Council agreed to partner on education and tourism.
The Colville Tribes have spent close to $3 million on 184 acres with the aim of building a casino in the future.
Opposition against development
The letter from Yakama Nation stresses the need for the Pasco leaders to other tribes treaty that’s has been in place for close to 200 years, and oppose Colville’s attempt to “illegally possess a land that isn’t theirs.”
Rodney Cawston, Chairman of the Colville Business Council insists the Pasco area as the land of his people.
“The Palus people lived in this part of the country for millennia, and their connection to their territory is strong to this day,” he said. He said the word “Pasco” is derived from a Palus place name.
