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Nipmuc nation loses its US status
Push for casino in Sturbridge halts
By Sean P. Murphy, Globe Staff, 9/28/2001
 he Bush administration stripped a Central Massachusetts Indian tribe of its federal recognition yesterday, bringing to a halt its plans to build a casino and resort in Sturbridge.
The Nipmuc Nation, a group of about 1,600 descendants of one of the region's aboriginal tribes, gained status as a federally recognized tribe only nine months ago. Only tribes with federal recognition have authority to build casinos.
The decision recognizing the Nipmuc Nation was made by a Clinton administration political appointee in January and overrode recommendations by staff genealogists that the tribe had not stayed together as a distinct community and thus failed to meet the criteria for federal recognition.
The Bush administration immediately slapped a hold on hundreds of last-minute decisions by Clinton appointees, including the Nipmuc Nation's recognition. Yesterday, the administration reversed the finding, saying the tribe had failed to meet criteria for recognition.
Bush officials in the Bureau of Indian Affairs declined to comment on the decision.
Members of the Nipmuc Nation, who have pursued recognition for more than 20 years, said they would press on with administrative appeals and possible lawsuits.
"The reversal is yet another emotional insult," said a Nipmuc Nation official, noting that this is the first time in the Bureau of Indian Affairs' history that a recognition decision was changed in this manner.
Nipmuc Nation officials declined to comment on their casino plans, as did Lakes Gaming, the tribe's financial backers.
But news of the decision was not universally greeted with frustration by the thousands of people in south-central Massachusetts who descend from the Nipmuc.
Because of the enormous potential for gaming riches, the Nipmuc in recent years have been courted by numerous non-Indian investors seeking partnerships with the tribe. The gaming pressures have caused the Nipmuc to split into several factions.
The faction known as Nipmuc Nation, which got recognition in January, is led by Guy Conrad, a non-Indian former public relations executive who negotiated a deal on behalf of the tribe with Lakes, one of the country's leading gaming companies. Conrad and Lakes stood to profit handsomely if a casino opened, and together they arranged an option on a large tract of land on Interstate 84 in Sturbridge as a possible casino site.
But in March, William Gould, chairman of the Tribal Council of the Nipmuc Nation, broke with Conrad, saying the deal negotiated by Conrad was too rich for the non-Indian investors and that non-Indians had too much control.
Gould further contended that Conrad had cultivated a group of tribal leaders loyal to him, but lacking in genealogical connection with the Nipmuc.
"We don't look at this as a defeat," Gould said yesterday. "Now we'll have a chance to regroup and have the true representatives of the Nipmucs come forward."
Another group, known as the Chaubunagungamaug Nipmuck Indian Council, applied on its own for recognition. But when the Bureau of Indian Affairs recognized the Nipmuc Nation in January, it turned down the Chaubunagungamaug. That decision was affirmed in the decision released yesterday.
An official from that group said the Chaubunagungamaug now feels "hopeful" because it can go forward with new presentations to persuade the Bureau of Indian Affairs to change its mind. Both groups have a 180-day period to make new arguments to the government.
All the groups want to open a casino. Two of the world's most successful casinos -- Foxwoods Resort and Mohegan Sun -- are in nearby Connecticut and take in about $2 billion annually. Industry analysts say the gaming market in New England, with is proximity to New York, Boston and Providence, is deep enough to make additional casinos successful.
Over the last decade, Indian gaming has expanded from modest bingo halls on out-of-the-way reservations to what's known in the industry as "destination resorts," with lavish hotels, nightclubs, shopping malls, and arenas.
After the Nipmuc Nation received recognition in January, it immediately forged ahead with plans to open a casino on the Massachusetts-Connecticut border. During the summer, the Nipmuc Nation announced its partnership with Lakes Gaming and the hiring of Boston-based lobbyists.
Casino gaming has always been a contentious issue in Massachusetts. In the past, the state government has fought various proposals by the Wampanoags, the state's only recognized tribe.
However, federal recognition gives tribes considerable leverage to overcome local opposition to casinos. The Nipmuc Nation hoped to persuade Massachusetts officials that if they blocked plans for a Sturbridge casino, the tribe would open a gaming palace just over the line in Union, Conn., thereby depriving Massachusetts of millions of dollars in tax revenues.
Residents of Sturbridge and other nearby towns mobilized in opposition to the casino plan in community meetings.
The Wampanoags, meanwhile, recently announced their partnership with a Mississippi tribe experienced in operating a casino. The Wampanoags have not disclosed any site for their proposed casino.
Sean P. Murphy's email address is smurphy@globe.com.
This story ran on page A1 of the Boston Globe on 9/28/2001.
© Copyright 2001 Globe Newspaper Company.
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