Sault Tribe changes its tune when it comes to Act of Congress allowing off-reservation gaming in Michigan

Compare what the Chairman of the Sault Ste Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians had to say before a congressional committee on 10.10.02 about Charlotte Beach land claims with what the Chairman of the Sault Tribe had to say about those same claims at a hearing before the House Natural Resource Committee hearing 2.06.08.

• 2002 Testimony - Chair, Sault Ste Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians
• 2008 Testimony - Chair, Sault Ste Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians

In 2002, the tribal chairman said, "The Charlotte Beach claim did not originate with Bay Mills. It was the product of a Detroit area attorney who developed it specifically as a vehicle to obtain an IGRA casino. This attorney approached the Sault Tribe first with the claim, but we turned him the deal down. He then took the claim to Bay Mills, who joined him up on his scheme. This attorney, Robert Golden, then represented Bay Mills in both court cases. The goal never was to recover the Charlotte Beach lands...Bay Mills is apparently fronting for a group of non-Indian movers and shakers who have carried Bay Mills along on their casino quest."

He went on to say the deal was a "very bad idea. It accomplishes nothing that it purports to do and much that should not be done... It revives a claim Bay Mills has lost, rewarding shady dealings in the process. Indian policy should suffer no further distortion in favor of non-Indian interests lurking behind tribes like Bay Mills. If Congress sanctions this sham, the lines will grow long of those who will surely follow."

Just today the tribe's chairman said, "Federal, state and local officials — Democrats and Republicans — support the agreement with Bay Mills and the Sault Tribe as a fair way to address the Charlotte Beach land claim within the confines and spirit of the law...Quite frankly, the loudest arguments against H.R. 4115 and H.R. 2176 come from Las Vegas casino interests and gaming tribes that do not want competition to their own businesses. Our interest is that we are justly compensated for the illegal land taking from our tribe and that the titles are cleared for the many families who today own homes on Charlotte Beach lands."