The Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians is disappointed following the update of the Coquille Indian Tribe’s continuing efforts to build a Casino in Medford, claiming the tribe is creating a false narrative of ties to ancestral lands.
The Coquille Indian Tribe’s work on a new casino spans well over a decade, raising the concerns of several neighboring tribes who fear the future economic consequences for their services to the community. https://kcby.com/news/local/four-tribal-nations-stand-against-coquille-indian-tribes-casino-project
Cow Creek Umpqua CEO Michael Rondeau has expressed frustrations with the ruling and approval process of the casino. “This is a disgrace to Tribal sovereignty and undermines the generations of work of our ancestors who sacrificed to restore lands that were taken from our families years ago.”
The Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians state that the process for Coquille’s casino in Medford is legally flawed by being in an area that is not near the Coquille Indian Tribe; it would be more than 165 miles from the Coquille ancestral homelands in North Bend.
“Today, my heart feels what our ancestors felt years ago with the stealing of our lands. We have continually reached out and tried to work with the government, and we’ve been a sister Tribe to others, but the government continues to take from our Tribe and give it away,” said Cow Creek Umpqua Tribal Chairman Carla Keene.
The public has the opportunity to voice their opinions and weigh in on the project during a 30-day comment period.
Residents can write a letter or an email to the Bureau of Indian Affairs expressing their concerns on the matter. A guide on that process can be found on the tribe’s website here; https://www.cowcreek-nsn.gov/release-administration-turns-back-on-tribes-with-wrong-decision-on-medford-casino/
“Anytime a neighboring tribe says that they’re going to come into somebody else’s ancestral home land and open a casino there, that’s going to directly impact that tribe on the services that they’re able to provide so that’s what happened with Coquille and we’re going to be able to fight this for them,” said Lindsay Campman, Communications and Marketing Director for The Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians.
Campman says the inclusion approving the casino could damage their tribe’s resources financially by removing up to 25% of income.
The Coquille Indian Tribe currently operates The Mill Casino Hotel & RV Park in North Bend.
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