Copyright © 2004 NLThomas
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Washington, D.C. - On the occasion of the Bureau of Indian Affairs' granting federal recognition today to Connecticut's Schaghticoke Tribe, National Indian Gaming Association (NIGA) Chairman Ernest L. Stevens, Jr., delivered the following remarks:

"The National Indian Gaming Association and our 184 member Tribes congratulate the Schaghticoke Tribe on the Tribe's victory to attain federal recognition. We applaud the Tribe's perseverance during their long years of struggle.

The Schaghticoke Tribe, like many other Tribes across this country, has had to overcome years of government red tape and, indeed, genocide by those who have always sought to exterminate us - the first peoples of this continent.

The granting of federal recognition to the Schaghticoke Tribe represents, above everything else, the survival of this country's indigenous peoples. The National Indian Gaming Association has no knowledge about their gaming aspirations; but, the granting of federal recognition is not a gaming issue. This is about a Tribe's finally getting justice and finding its rightful place as an indigenous people within the United States."

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The National Indian Gaming Association is a non-profit trade association comprised of 184 American Indian Nations and other non-voting associate members. The common commitment and purpose of NIGA is to advance the lives of Indian people - economically, socially and politically. NIGA operates as a clearinghouse and educational, legislative and public policy resource for tribes, policymakers and the public on Indian gaming issues and tribal community development.