October 1, 2009: Books from the first print run of Sovereign have just arrived and are ready for shipping. Order your copy today at a discounted price!
About the Book
The opening of the first tribal-owned bingo halls, toward the end of the 1970s, sparked a revolution across Indian Country. The ensuing transformation, with the development of gaming enterprises at its core, has been accompanied by a cyclone of media reports that has obscured the foundations of this story.
Here are the first-hand accounts of individuals who composed the legal, political, social, and economic movement that has taken root over the last three decades. Tribal leaders who initially opened casinos and defied opposition, attorneys who argued the groundbreaking court cases, members of Congress who helped formulate Indian gaming policy, and regulators who have interpreted the details of that framework provide an unfiltered chronicle of these events.
There is no more fitting way to share this experience than through the tradition and power of storytelling. This carefully assembled oral history is not only a path to knowledge for the present but will stand as a testament to this significant era for the future.
About the Editor and Interviewer
Suzette Brewer is a writer and journalist specializing in American Indian culture and issues. Previously, she served as communications director for the National Indian Gaming Association and as public affairs officer for the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian. She also served as communications director for the American Indian College Fund in Denver, Colorado.
She has worked or freelanced for a number of media organizations, including The Dallas Morning News, The Concord Monitor, Native Peoples, Oklahoma Today, The Denver Post, and The Denver Business Journal. She holds a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Mississippi. Her published works include Real Indians: Portraits of Contemporary Native Americans and America's Tribal Colleges. She is a member of the Cherokee Nation and is from Stilwell, Oklahoma.
Cheryl Cadue, a member of the Kickapoo Tribe in Kansas, earned her bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Kansas. Cheryl was a newspaper reporter prior to 2000 when she joined the American Indian College Fund as the Program Manager of Public Education and Communications. Currently Cheryl works for the state of Kansas, as well as working as a freelance writer specializing in American Indian economic development and education issues. She is the proud mother of two children, Everett and Karen Chloe.
About the Publisher
Sovereign is published by Ipanema Literatures, LLC.
Based in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Ipanema Literatures is a publishing firm dedicated to sharing stories often left in the dark and becoming a mouthpiece for silenced voices. Thirty percent of net project profit from Sovereign will be donated to the American Indian College Fund.
