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Native Americans Getting Piece of Tourism Pie in Washington

© Jerri Brooker

When I was a kid in Washington State I grew up near American Indians, Makahs to be exact. My view of their culture was incomplete for lack of education. They just "were." As a close-knit group they didn't wander off their reservation much and in my mind, their industry was pretty non-existent.

Then, as I matured and learned about history and the tribes, my view of American Indian culture changed. I asked how we, as a country, could be so dispassionate to a nation within a nation that was unjustly treated? I began to read all I could and learn about their culture.

I read Sherman Alexie, a Washington State Native American writer, with interest as he wrote of life on the reservation in Washington State. I find a lot of his writings very close to how I viewed the Native American community before I learned more about them. I saw a lot of them as victims in their own eyes through his writings.

No more.

Now my view of the local Native American culture is one of deserved opportunity. The tribes have taken their past and their victimization role and turned it around to become a community of winners in the Washington State tourism industry.

How?

Would you believe gambling?

Tourists are flocking to Washington State to visit American Indian casinos. The Yakama Nation's Legends Casino is so profitable they are considering adding a hotel. They now have a tourism coordinator on staff. Check out their Stay and Play package online.

American Indian casinos are around the state and seem to be on every corner. The Squaxin tribe's Little Creek Casino was the first to allow look-alike slot machines when the state allowed them in 1988. That seems to have taken off and casinos are growing their clientele.

The Quinault Indians have a $50 million luxury resort and casino at Olympic Shores, which opened May 22, 2000, complete with 157 rooms and two restaurants along 23 miles of ocean beaches. The Quinault Beach Resort and Casino is a 16,000-square-feet resort which contains a convention center, spas, an indoor pool and gas fireplaces and refrigerators in every room. Check out their winter specials!

Gambling isn't the only egg in the tourism basket, however.

Eighteen tribes in Washington State are involved with tourism, out of 27. The Colville, Yakama, Tulalip, Jamestown S'kallam, Muckleshoot and Makah tribes are further involved in tourism development.

The Makah Nation has renovated the Cape Flattery Trail to bring more tourists and the Tulalip Tribes open an annual longhouse ceremony to the public each year. The Yakama Nation has a cultural center boasting over 2,000 visitors a month. The Colville Confederated Tribes rent boats and cabins along Lake Roosevelt; they have a fleet of 40 houseboats. They also own marinas and a fishing resort. Donna Wilkie and her family greet tourists to the Makah reservation on the Pacific Ocean and treat them to a beach salmon feed and entertainment.

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