A deal has been signed by the Yurok Tribe which aims at boosting their pre-colonization trade system that was adopted in tandem with the needs and demands of the 21st century.
As per the deal, one of the very first breweries owned by tribes in the USA – Mad River Brewing Co. – will be distributing its beers to a casino near Los Angeles. This casino is the San Manie, Band of Mission Indians that is also owned by a tribe. Through this agreement, the tribes are trying to help each other financially. You can click here to know more about such news and keep yourself updated with the casino world.
In a press release, Yurok Chair Joseph James said that his team is very grateful for getting the chance to work for this casino with one of the most successful tribes of the United Nations. He added that this partnership will set an example for the other tribes to see how one tribe can help in uplifting another tribe in the 21st century. Even after physically being more than 1000 miles away from each other, the strong partnership of the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians and the Yurok Tribe has brought them very close to each other.
The largest tribe of California, the Yurok Tribe, said in its press release that their tribe desperately needs economic development for growth. At the time of an ongoing pandemic, the unemployment rate in the tribe is more than 30 percent. The median income of the families is way less than half of the national average. It stands at $28,300. Grants and the business ventures of the tribe are used for funding many tribal services. These services are the bread of many tribal families, said the press release.
In the press release, James said that the business arrangement regarding this casino, recently made by their tribe with the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians is very important for the tribe. It will help in improving the financial situations of their families significantly. The proceeds which will be generated by the partnership of the tribes will be the source of funding for the essential services required by the people belonging to the Yurok tribe. While the deal aims to corroborate the social safety net of the tribe, it also gives them the independence to be the master of their destiny by participating in commerce with different tribes. Currently, financial independence is a very important factor in deciding the independence of a tribe or an individual.
The Chairman of the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians casino, Ken Ramirez, said the cultures and histories of the tribes are also considered before signing the new pact.
For many and many years, Ramirez said in the release that they have maintained the complex trade routes that have extended beyond their specific aboriginal territory. Now they have been creating a modern version of the traditionally used economic system for providing financial stability to their citizens. Before the time of colonization, these two tribes – Yurok and San Manuel Band of Mission Indians – had been maintaining their sophisticated economic structures through which they responsibly used their natural and land resources.
In the press release, they said that the two tribes were taking a step forward by becoming partners for inter tribe commerce in California. This will create new business opportunities, employment options while recreating the economic condition of the Yurok Tribe.
Even after having a great geographical distance between each other, Yurok and San Manuel Band of Mission Indians tribes have enjoyed a unique and reciprocal relationship with each other. They are located at the far southern and northern ends of California in the United States.
The partnership of the two tribes has well extended to many spheres of industries like public health and cultural exchanges. In 2020, a major natural disaster had disrupted the lives and houses of the Yurok Tribe. It was then when the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians came forward to help them in getting up financially. They sent immediate relief for supporting the economic recovery of the tribe.
Also, the Yurok tribe has been joint in the leaders of the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians casino for 20 years through the California Indian Cultural Awareness Conference. The host of this conference was Cal State San Bernardino.
Recently, after signing the deal for distributing beers to the San Manuel Casino, that is known to be the most thrilling in SoCal, has been provided with the sustainably produced premium ale from the Mad River Brewing Company of the Yurok Tribe. The latter was one of the very first breweries owned by a tribe in the USA.
The Yurok Tribe is the largest in California with more than 6200 members. More than 7.5% of the coastline of California has been occupied by the tribe as its territory.