Cherokee Nation: Warren's use of DNA test 'inappropriate,' 'wrong'

[grantcart]

50. lol this has zero to do with tribal customs or Elizabeth Warren

This is 100% about not giving Cherokees who aren't on the official tribal census a mechanism to claim enough Cherokee blood to qualify for a cut in the gambling revenues.

Every tribe has regulations about who gets on the official census which can include both percent of blood relations and residency. Unfortunately there are lots of clan divisions in tribes where one clan gets control and eliminates others off the clan. It can mean hundreds of thousands of dollars per family and those that are in control don't want to lose control to other factions so they don't want outside factors, like DNA tests to gain a foot hold.

Exacerbating the problem is that gambling revenues always decline after a casino opening, partly due to exhausting a pent up demand and partly to other casinos opening in the area.

The Cherokee Harrah's just had a $ 600 million up lift and yearly dividend payments are still declining. For that reason they don't want to add more people to the census and see their revenue decline even further.

https://www.citizen-times.com/story/news/local/2014/03/27/revenue-growth-slows-cherokee-casino/6971123/

“There’s only so much gambling that can be done, only so much disposable income,” Meister said. “You’re adding more and more gambling competing for the same dollars.”

There are 468 Indian gambling facilities in 28 states, the report said. But there are no casinos in states surrounding North Carolina. The Cherokee casino draws 3.6 million people a year.

The casino was helped in 2012, when the tribe was given permission by the state to introduce live table games — blackjack, craps and roulette.

But there could be competition.

The Catawba Indian Nation is trying to develop a casino that promises to bring 4,000 jobs to a site off Interstate 85 near Kings Mountain in Cleveland County. The Catawbas want to build a gambling hall after South Carolina laws blocked the tribe’s effort to build a casino in its home state. The tribe continues to challenge the laws

Not only are the Cherokees trying to control and limit their census (which is perfectly legitimate) they are using their power to block other tribes from opening more casinos in the surrounding area.

The comments about DNA are not about customs but about limiting the number of people who can claim to be on the census and their method for proving it, which of course Senator Warren is not doing. If they go along with her DNA claim then it could have an impact on others who are bringing legal action to get a piece of the action.