More on the Catawba Pottery Tradition

The tradition of Catawba Valley Pottery begins in the original home of the Catawba people in the southeastern part of what is now North Carolina. The tradition of this folk-art form began many hundreds of years ago with earthenware practices that have grown into the stoneware practices of today. Over time this practice became more varied in the types of pottery that were made until those who had made the stoneware for most of their life became Artisans.

The more traditional pots are not glazed and they come out of an open fire rather than in a kiln as in most other types of pottery. This tradition still continues however, around 1830 a man who would become an Artisan named Daniel Segal began to experiment with the clay from the river. He is thought to have been taught the art of Catawba pottery by his father. This is where the stoneware started and because he was a perfectionist he ended up making a glossy, greenish glazed type of pot from native Catawba valley clay and with it formed large blub shaped stoneware that raised the bar in many circles of pottery makers at the time.

Today these pots have as many uses as there are sizes shapes and colors to be found in this traditional art that can be purchased by the masses today. Anything from basic, small coil pots to elaborate and brightly colored vessels of great size are bought and sold even on internet sites like Ebay today. The sale of this functional art is traditional as well, Going back to the European colonial era the pottery of the Catawba people was purchased or traded for many things such as iron cooking counterparts from Europe. Early pieces of the earthenware style as well as the later styles can be seen in museums and cultural heritage sites of the Catawba people.

The art form suffered from a decline in the early 1940’s because of the inexpensive, mass made glassware of the time until it had a renaissance in the 1970’s when a resurgence of the old style was again sought after. It was also at this time that many native cultures were having a revival of traditions nearly forgotten including the pottery of the Catawba Nation. Along with the pottery the Catawba people were reviving their nearly dead language and trying to get recognized still by the federal government for recognition as a sovereign nation and to receive some measure of the federal funding that other recognized Native Nations receive. This struggle for recognition and preservation of Catawba traditions means that some piece of what it means to be Catawba is kept and passed on to future generations ensuring the survival of their culture and history for many years to come.

References

http://www.cvpottery.com/catawba_valley_history.htm

Blumber, Thomas J. Catawba Indian Pottery: The survival of a Folk Tradition. Tuscaloosa: The University of Alabama Press, 2004.

Dave Lyle Parkway Expansion

Catawba Chief Donald Rogers, is a strong advocate for the expansion of the Dave Lyle parkway because of how time consuming the access routes are to the Catawba Indian reservation. The Dave Lyle Boulevard would create prospects for businesses and the creation of jobs in the area. Chief Rogers points out that it not only creates opportunities for people, but the creation of this parkway allows for a new mindset. Historically, reservations were created to exclude Native people from the rest of the world. As of 2008, it would cost 168 million dollars for the expansion of the Dave Lyle parkway. Not only is it expensive for this kind of expansion to take place, but those advocating for the creation of the parkway are butting heads with Conservationists wanting to protect the land.

Catawba Pottery

       The tradition of Catawba Pottery is one that is believed to predate more commonly known pottery traditions among Natives in the South West. This ongoing tradition has kept up for several reasons. Perhaps the most obvious of these reasons is to preserve parts of their culture. Another of the reasons is that has provided a steady source of income throughout the years.        
       The tradition of pottery making among the Catawba Indians is very old and yet still has continued to this day in the same way that it most likely started. The original Catawba potters would dig their clay out of the river bank. The modern members of the Nation still do the same when they are making their pottery. Catawba Indians use a hand building technique to build their pottery rather than using the moder pottery wheel. This provides for one of
a kind pottery each and every time. The Catawba also do not ever paint or glaze their pottery. 
       One of the reasons that Catawba Pottery is so distinctive is the fact that after sun drying the pottery they fire it in an outdoor pit or open fireplace. Depending on where and how the wood is placed around the pottery, each piece will come with a variation of black, tan, orange or brown colors. Often they have a mottled effect with two of those colors. That is just another thing that makes each piece of the Catawba Pottery one of a kind. The Catawba have been selling their pottery for over a hundred years which has provided them with one of the only consistent stable sources of income in the Catawba Nation.

References:

Hilton Pond Center. "The Catawba Indians: People of the River." Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History. http://www.hiltonpond.org/CatawbaIndiansMain.html
Largo, Jim. "Catawba potter's traditional work in high demand." Indian Country Today, December 10, 2003. http://www.proquest.com/

Catawba Cultural Preservation

       Like Most Native American tribes, the Catawba Indian Nation is on a mission to restore their culture. These restoration efforts involve pottery, song, dance, language, storytelling, beadwork, weaving, essentially everything that is Catawba. The Catawba Indian Cultural Center is behind most of these efforts and where they are taking place. They are offering classes in all of these different areas. The Cultural Center started offering these classes in the summer of 2005 for the youth and has continued to do so every summer since. The Tribal Elders are the ones who are teaching these classes, yet they are also learning themselves in many cases. 

       As of 1999 John George wass involved in many of these efforts and he has had his own journey to reclaim some of the Catawba Culture. George is the first traditional medicine advisor for the Catawba Indian Nation in 95 years. His journey started in 1995 when his interest in herbs and traditional Catawba medicine began. As of 1999, George was working side by side with the tribal doctors and offering patients the choice of care that they wanted: traditional or modern methods. George also uses talking circles, sweat lodges and the medicine wheel in his care. The Catawba Nation is making great efforts to restore their culture and seem to be succeeding.

References:

Location

Catawba Indian Nation
996 Avenue of the Nations
Rock Hill, South Carolina 29730

Catawba Flag

Catawba Nation Federal Recognition

 

References:

                Loftis, Lynn. “The Catawbas’ Final Battle: A Bittersweet Victory.” American Indian Law Review 19 (1994): 183-215. JSTOR. http://www.jstor.org/stable/20068763 (accessed April 22, 2010).

                 McCulloch, Anne Merline and David E. Wilkins. “”Constructing” Nations within States: The Quest for Federal Recognition.” American Indian Quarterly 19 (1995): 361-388. JSTOR. http://www.jstor.org/stable/1185596 (accessed April 22, 2010).

The Decline and Revival of Catawba Population

References:

                Covington, James W. “Proposed Catawba Indian Removal.” The South Carolina Historical Magazine 55 (1954): 42-47. JSTOR. http://www.jstor.org/stable/27565946 (accessed May 15, 2010).

http://www.dickshovel.com/Catawba.html

http://www.accessgenealogy.com/native/tribes/nations/catawba.htm

http://www.catawbaindiannation.com/

Census info:

http://files.usgwarchives.org/sc/catawba/1847cen.txt

http://files.usgwarchives.org/sc/catawba/1854cen.txt

http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~scyork/Census/1930/Catawba.html

Catawba People: Spiritual Past and Present

References:

                Speck, Frank G. “Catawba Religious Beliefs, Mortuary Customs, and Dances.” Primitive Man 12 (1939): 21-57. JSTOR. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3316471 (accessed May 18, 2010).

                ---. “Catawba Herbals and Curative Practices.” The Journal of American Folklore 57 (1944): 37-50. JSTOR. http://www.jstor.org/stable/535753 (accessed May 18, 2010).

               

                Speck, Frank G. and L. G. Carr “Catawba Folk Tales from Chief Sam Blue.” The Journal of American Folklore 60 (1947): 79-84. JSTOR. http://www.jstor.org/stable/536835 (accessed May 18, 2010).

http://www.catawbaindiannation.com/

Yap Ye Iswa

       Yap Ye Iswa (Day of the Catawba) is supported by the Catawba Cultural Preservation Project, is celebrated every year on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. This celebration allows the Catawba and people from all different backgrounds to be educated about Catawba culture. This cultural preservation effort began in Rock Hill, South Carolina. 
       Displayed at the festival is traditional Catawba art, history, stories, dance, language, music, pottery and food; there are even demonstration of how to prepare the traditional Catawba food. Talks on aspects of Catawba culture like Native American history and archaeology are given as well as lessons on Catawba language. There is storytelling and performances given by traditional drummers and dancers. Potters are able to display and sell their traditional pottery. The Day of the Catawba helps to keep Catawba culture preserved and is a way for non-native people to learn about the culture and heritage of South Carolina’s only federally recognized tribe.

References:

University of South Carolina Lancaster, “Yap Ye Iswa: “Day of the Catawba”

Festival,” USC

Lancaster, http://usclancaster.sc.edu/nas/yapyeiswa/index.html

(accessed May 19, 2010).

University of South Carolina Lancaster, "Yap Ye Iswa: "Day of the Catawba" Festi val November 15, 2008", http://usclancaster.sc.edu/NAS/YapYeIswa/2008/YYI_1.htm, (accessed May 19, 2010).

America's Story From America's Library, "Yap Ye Iswa (Day of the Catawba) A Local Legacy", http://www.americaslibrary.gov/es/sc/es_sc_indian_1.html, (accessed May 19, 2010).

Catawba Economy: Success Now and Then

References:

                Drye, Willie. “Excavated Village Unlocks Mystery of Tribe’s Economy.” National Geographic News, November 14, 2005. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/11/1114_051114_

catawba.html (accessed May 17,  2010).

                Merrell, James H. “The Indians’ New World: The Catawba Experience.” The William and Mary Quarterly 41 (1984): 538-565. JSTOR. http://www.jstor.org/stable/1919153 (accessed May 05, 2010).

http://www.catawbaindiannation.com/

Teach Them Well and Let Them Lead the Way: Catawba Indian Head Start Program

       As the Catawba Indian Nation transitions into an era of self-reliance, operational government and cultural preservation take center stage. Triumphant changes abound. Current leadership cannot govern eternally, but the effort to reestablish strength can be sustained through following generations. This is not lost on Catawba leaders. Therefore Head Start has been a welcome organization in the Catawba Nation since 1998.


       Head Start is a federally funded program designed to educate children through comprehensive curriculums, family participation and support. All Head Start programs focus on physical health, early childhood education, advocacy, and disability detection and support. But it is unique to Indian Nation Head Start programs to focus on language revitalization and American Indian heritage. Through collaboration with the Catawba cultural center, the Catawba Indian Head Start integrates the Catawba language into their curriculum and also provides cultural exploration through craft projects, community visitors, storytelling and organized play. Staff from the cultural center visit the school regularly, teaching language and drumming to the children, ages 3-5 years. Because the center also severs non-tribal children and families, the center cannot teach Catawba dancing. However, the cultural center offers summer camps to tribal children that focus exclusively on Catawba traditional dances, pottery, drumming and language. This summer program in cooperation with the school year Head Start cultural curriculum makes cultural education accessible year round, enveloping Catawba children in their spiritual and artistic heritage.

       The Catawba Head Start program is offered for free to Catawba children, children living in tribal households and non-Indian children living in the local area. As of 2010 this small program, run out of a gymnasium, serves 80 children and their families, 45 of which are tribal members. The center has two family service workers who have a case load of 40 families each. Angie Brown the center’s director recognizes the importance of the task at hand, but she believes in her staff and their capacity to meet the challenge, “We are a small program and so we [staff members] wear many hats, but we are like a family here”. Angie asserts that the center has no turn over, “the staff is very close and no one wants to leave”, they are committed to the process, the children and one another. Six of the twenty people on staff are also tribal members. This fact brings both pride and relief to a nation that embraces the quote, "Whoever controls the education of our children controls our future..." Every day the Catawba Nation refreshes and refines with future generations in mind and hopes that future generations will continue the good work.


By: Domeka Parker


Resources:
Angie Brown, Catawba Indian Nation Head Start Center Director (telephone interview 5/20/10)
sc-headstart.org/Indian_Nation_Head_Start.html
http://www.catawbaindiannation.com/content.php?title=Head%20Start
http://www.nhsa.org/

The "Mascot Issue" and the Catawba Indian Nation

     For over a century, educational institutions in the United Sates have used Indian names, images, songs, and religious ceremonies at sporting events. For many, both Native and otherwise, this is seen as a continuation of racist practices and cultural genocide, carried out in the guise of school spirit. Others, like the Catawba, feel that as long as their name and images are used in a respectful manner, the relationship between the Nation and the educational institution can be a mutually beneficial and symbiotic one.

     Students and Teachers Against Racism (STAR), explain on their website why ‘The American Indian Mascot Issue’ is problematic for so many people. They point out that there is no other race whose image is used in the same way: “Interchange the name of any race with the Indians and it immediately becomes clear that we cannot have teams called The Negroes, The Asians or The Jews.” Additionally, they explain that many of these schools began the practice of usurping Indian Tribal names and the use of Indian religious items and images at a time when the official Indian policy dictated that it was unlawful for Indian peoples to freely practice their own religious ceremonies. Indian students attending a ballgame would be subjected to mocking reenactments of scalpings and be forced to watch cartoonish mascot, dressed as a stereotypical Indian, who used feathers and other sacred items in an irreverent manor.

     In 2005, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) took a stand against those teams who they felt used mascots and Indian names which were “hostile or abusive.” They banned those teams who fit into this category from participating in the 2005 postseason tournaments. Catawba College, located about 70 miles north of the Catawba Rock Hill Reservation, was on the list for their use of “Catawba Indians” for their sports teams and their logo which boasts a capital ‘C’ and three feathers. However, after an appeal to the NCAA and a letter of support from the Catawba Indian Nation leader, Chief Donald Rogers, the college was allowed to retain the Catawba Indian moniker and logo and participate in all NCAA events.

     Then, in 2008, Indian Land High approached Chief Rogers with a proposal to honor the Nation by naming their football field “The Reservation.” The high school made it very clear that if the Catawba did not see this as an honor then they would not proceed with their plans. Rogers explained in a newspaper interview that to him this was not “offensive at all but part of a shared history." He went on to say: “We have some tribal children at this school. And over the years, I always found that I rooted for the team called Indian Land. It was like our team in a way. They called me out of respect for our tribe."

     Ultimately, as the NCAA explained when they gave Catawba College the go ahead to retain their sports teams name, it is a matter of tribal sovereignty. If a tribe or nation is supportive of a school’s use of their name and/or image, even detractors of the practice will most times support that decision based on the political autonomy of the tribe. As Chief Rogers points out, this type of relationship, based on respect for mutual residence and history, can be seen as a positive for all parties involved. It has the potential to garner good will and support for both the Nation and the educational institution. As Chief Rogers said: "This is a new era…I will be honored for opposing teams to come in here and say they are going to have a battle on the 'The Rez' tonight."

References:

Andrew Dys, “Inidan Land High, Catawbas unite behind field’s nickname: Tribe bucks trend to denounce references to American Indians,” Heraldonline.com, Sept. 11, 2008, Local/State section, http://www. heraldonline.com/2008/09/11/808897/indian-land-high-catawbas-unite.html

Catawba Athletics, “NCAA Ruling on Use of ‘Catawba Indians’ for Athletic Teams,” GoCatawbaIndians.com, http://www.gocatawbaindians.com/page.asp?articleID=3355

“Catawba wins appeal on mascot issue,” USAToday.com, May 31, 2006, College Sports, http://www. usatoday.com/sports/college/2006-05-31-catawba_x.htm

“NCAA American Indian mascot ban will begin Feb. 1,” ESPN.com, Aug. 12, 2005, http://sports.espn.go. com/ncaa/news/story?id=2125735

STAR: Students and Teachers Against Racism, “Understanding the American Indian Mascot Issue: A Collection of Writings on Team Names and Logos,” STAR, http://www.racismagainstindians. org/UnderstandingMascots.htm

Seeing the Future Through the Past: A New Powwow Tradition

Despite the inevitable transformation of the traditional Powwow, the fundamental concept remains unchanged. A powwow is a gathering of Native people, a reunion of spirit, and a celebration of culture. Most powwow’s have similar features and events i.e. dancing, drumming, singing and food. And overwhelmingly a powwow in any state, hosted by any tribe, has the power to bring people together and to cleanse the spirit like a spring rain. Breaking free from a heavy cloud of struggle, members of the Catawba Indian Nation dreamt of such a rain. For ten years they dreamt and planned to host a much needed powwow.
In April 18th of 2010, this dream came true. Organized by the Catawba Cultural Preservation Project, the Catawba powwow joined with the Rock Hill South Carolina Come-See-Me festival. This popular community gathering festival began in 1962 and since, “the festival has been ranked in the South’s Top 20 Spring Festivals numerous times.” The Catawba powwow was featured along with tennis tournaments, races, parades, garden shows and even a Teddy Bear tea party. To some this was a disappointment, but to others it was a power opportunity, a very public display of Catawba cultural heritage, perseverance and pride. This partnership with the Come-See-Me Festival attracted many outside the Catawba community who may not have attended the powwow as a standalone event. It was a carefully thought and diligently produced event.
Although, some found the audacity of a dancer who was apparently text messaging during the performance less than pride inducing. The dancer may not have been a Catawba Indian; there were many guest performers from tribes around the region. Regardless, however minuet the disruption, it caused quite a stir. There are those who ache for the power to freeze time, they imagine that American Indians exist in the past and that any modern display makes them somehow inauthentic. It’s a constant struggle for Native peoples moving forward with the times whilst still holding on to important cultural connections. Technology is a fact of our collective existence, and if anything, the situation simply illuminated something our cultures share, the phenomenon of “texting addiction”. Despite that tiny storm, the Catawba powwow was a success. Chief Donald Rodgers intends to make the powwow and annual event. And like Jered Catny, a Catawba Indian who returned home from college to perform in the event, the powwow brings home a revitalized connection to a windswept culture that survives on the spirit of its members, the beats of its songs, the steps of its dances, the stories of its past and its hopes for the future.

Resources:

http://www.indiancountrytoday.com/living/powwow/46469752.html

http://www.indiancountrytoday.com/living/powwow/46470142.html

http://comeseeme.rockhill.net

Healing Projects

In the 19^th and 20^th centuries, Indian children were removed from their homes and communities and taken to boarding schools. Abuse of every kind was widespread at these residential schools and as a result Native people have had to find ways of coping with these physical and emotional abuses that have effected generations. Organizations like the Boarding School Healing Project, are working to heal, educate, and document for those victimized by the boarding school experience, and also to work to hold those accountable for the treatment of Indian children. 

To take action for the Boarding School Healing project, which advocates for American Indian and Alaska Native people , there is a letter they ask supporters to send on their website to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights; this letter advocates that “The Forum recommends that the Commission on Human Rights appoint or designate a rapporteur to undertake a study on genocidal practices and ethnocidal practices perpetuated on indigenous peoples, including programmes for the sterilization of indigeous women and girls, the use of indigenous communities as subjects of nuclear testing or for the storage of nuclear waste and as subjects of testing of unapproved drugs on indigenous women, children and peoples.”

Catawba Indian Nation has a program called the Healing Spirits Project, where they work with members of Catawba nation who have been victims of abuse. The Healing Spirits Project is not specifically geared towards those effected by generational trauma due to the boarding school experience, rather it offers many services for those seeking out help, such as counseling and therapy, where the patients’ histories and experiences are carefully recorded to benefit the patient as much as possible. This project is meant to advocate for safety of those seeking out help, and support to make the right changes to start the healing process through treatment planning and therapy.

Bibliography:

Boarding School Healing Project. “Take Action.” Boarding School Healing Project.   http://www.boardingschoolhealingproject.org/takeaction.html (accessed  May  12, 2010).

Davis, Julie. “American Indian Boarding School Experiences: Recent Studies from  Native Perspectives.” OAH Magazine of History 15, winter 2001 (May 12, 2010), http://www.oah.org/pubs/magazine/deseg/davis.html.

Facebook: Catawba Indian Nation Longhouse. “Catawba Indian Nation Longhouse:  Job Vacancy: Councelor.” Facebook. http://www.facebook.com/home.php?# !/pages/Rock-Hill-SC/Catawba-Indian-Nation-Longhouse/87272816029? v=app_2347471856&ref=search (accessed May 12, 2010).

Catawba Indian Nation offers its members a lifetime of education

  Despite setbacks due to uncertain financial management following the 1993 recognition settlement with the U.S. government and the blockage of attempts to fund education through high-stakes Bingo and video poker, the Catawba Indian Nation has revamped their management, found new avenues of revenue, and is able to offer their members, from youngest to oldest, a culturally-centered education.

The Nation has had its share of setbacks and disappointments in regards to education funding. In 2005, Indian Country Today reported that the Catawba were the beneficiaries of a six-year, $6.9 million matching grant which enabled them to offer culturally-centered activities to younger members such as pottery making and language classes. Unfortunately, these funds were revoked when audits were not satisfactorily submitted for review. Another disappointment came on May 5^th of this year when their attempts to gain the right to run a high-stakes bingo hall were thwarted. Religious and civil members united to defeat the measure, resistant to the idea of having this type of establishment in close proximity to schools and Decker Boulevard. Funding and job creation from a high-stakes bingo hall would have benefited Catawba education greatly.

  Despite these issues, the Catawba move forward with education measures aimed at improving the future of all members. One rich resource available to the youth is the Catawba Head Start program, located in the Catawba Cultural Center, which offers preschool classes for children three years of age up until Kindergarten enrollment. Children are educated in state-mandated subjects to prepare them for entry into primary school, but are also offered a wide variety of activities such as Native American art, gardening, and nutrition. Also, the Head Start staff work to integrate “Catawba Culture” into the curriculum.

  In September of 2008, the Nation opened their Catawba Achievement Center at their Longhouse, located on-reservation. The center was created by Harmony for Humanity, which aims to bring technology to Native American peoples located in remote areas. The center boasts eleven computers which can be used for GED training, computer literacy classes, and small business development training. Members are offered free computer classes and volunteers are encouraged to assist with teaching classes. Although the center offers beginner and intermediate level courses to members of all ages, it is particularly hoped that older members who have never really had the opportunity to gain technological knowledge will be able to improve their lives utilizing theses resources.

In addition to computer training, Catawba adults are offered education through the Catawba Cultural Center in a variety of areas including language, basketry making, pottery making, beadwork, and regalia making. Also, quarterly newsletters provide short lessons in language (like the one pictured above) to encourage tribal members’ participation in language revitalization efforts.

Resources:

Becknell, Jennifer. “Tribe opens tech center at Longhouse: Computer training, GED program, small business classes in the plans.” Herald Online (Sep. 12, 2008) http://www.heraldonline. com/2008/09/12/811521/tribe-opens-tech-center-at-longhouse.html#ixzz0npND1pAf

Catawba Indian Nation Newsletter (1st Quarter January– March 2010): http://www.catawbaindiannation.com/CIN-1stQuarter-Newsletter.pdf

Catawba Indian Nation Newsletter (2nd Quarter April– June 2010): http://www.catawbaindiannation.com/CIN-2ndQuarter-Newsletter.pdf

Hinshaw, Dawn. “Catawba Indian's Columbia bingo hall plans thwarted: Catawbas lose fight for a high-stakes bingo operation in Columbia area.” Herald Online (May 5, 2010) http://www. heraldonline.com/2010/05/05/2143608/tribes-bingo-hall-plans-thwarted.html

Largo, Jim. "Elders teach Catawba youth." Indian Country Today (August 17, 2005) http://www.proquest.com/

Gambling for the Future: A Catawba Gaming History

       In 1988 the United States federal government passed a law that established the jurisdiction over Indian gaming in the states, called the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act The purpose of the act was to provide legislative means for Indian gaming as a source of income and economic development amongst tribes.

       In search of self-government and sovereignty the Catawba tribe sought negotiation for federal recognition and settling land disputes, and in 1993 President Clinton signed a settlement that awarded over $50 million. In return, the Catawba tribe was to relinquish any land claims that had been established by earlier precedent. The settlement allowed limited gaming on the Catawba reservation, and the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act would not apply on Catawba land. The tribe would be allowed to operate bingo and video machines which would be subject to state law, though additional exceptions were made in terms of the games that were allowed.

       On the outcome of the settlement, Catawba Chief Gilbert Blue said, “I feel like we’re on the edge of a new day for the Catawba people. Nothing will replace the loss of our lands but this settlement is a tool that will allow us to create a better life for our children.” The settlement also has its opposition that argues the Catawba people have given up their sovereignty for short term money. The settlement caused the Catawba tribe gain fewer rights than many other Indian tribes. The Catawba as a result have limited jurisdiction over criminal disputes on lands under the settlement, must pay state and federal taxes, hunting, fishing and water rights fall under state jurisdiction, in addition to the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act not applying to the Catawba reservation. Catawbas did however gain federal recognition, which before the agreement, they had lacked.

       In 1996, the Catawba tribe opened and ran the successful Catawba Bingo Parlor in Rock Mill, South Carolina. After several years the parlor was shut down due to the loss of interest after the establishment of the South Carolina Education Lottery, which severely impacted the participation in Bingo on the Catawba reservation.

       In 2006 the Catawba tribe filed a suit against the state of South Carolina for the right to operate video poker machines on Catawba reservations. Due to the settlement of 1993, the Catawbas were only granted the right to run gaming and gambling halls under state jurisdiction. They won the suit in the lower court, overturning that part of the agreement, though the state appealed to the State Supreme Court and was overturned. In 2007, the Catawba appeal to the Federal Supreme Court was denied.

       According to the April 2010 newsletter of Catawba Indian Nation, the committee is attempting to negotiate the terms of outstanding taxes from previous Bingo halls in order to reinstate the tribe's Bingo license. The newsletter claims that once the license is obtained, it plans to open a new Bingo hall as soon as possible in a suitable location.

       Proponents of Indian gaming claim there is an undeniable economic benefit and a requirement for tribal sovereignty. It supposedly improves the lives and health of the members through employment opportunities on the reservation. Casinos and gambling halls, including bingo, hire a significant number of resident and non-resident Indians for both skilled and unskilled jobs. However while there seems to be short term benefits to the economy through gambling and gaming, long term benefits are arguable

References:

Loftis, Lynn. “The Catawbas’ Final Battle: A Bittersweet Victory.” American Indian Law Review 19 (1994): 183-215. JSTOR. http://www.jstor.org/stable/20068763 (accessed April 22, 2010).

McCulloch, Anne Merline. “The Politics of Indian Gaming: Tribe/State Relations and American Federalism.” Publius 24 (1994): 99-112. JSTOR. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3330741 (accessed April 22, 2010).