Shinnecock Indians win tribal status, casino coming soon

Members of the Shinnecock Indian tribe were celebrating yesterday after learning that the Federal Bureau of Indian Affairs had formally recognized it as a tribe. One good thing to come out if it is that no-one can take the piss out of the Shinnecocks any more for being plastic injuns, but the real result is that now they can open their own casino on Long Island. As an outsider, I still can’t get my head around why in the US it’s only okay for Indians to run casinos and not anyone else, but then don’t get me on what I don’t get about America (the ‘World’ Series, the UIGEA, the minimum drinking age, Keanu Reeves…). Read more.