While we can debate the appropriateness/ethics of gambling and sports, it is important to acknowledge that on many reservations, the casino is the entire economy. I believe that the way the conversation thus far is separating the tribe from their business ventures and arguing that one is appropriate while one is icky is missing a big piece. I want to begin by acknowledging that I am NOT Indigenous, but I am a historian and scholar of colonialism and Indigenous topics. Meanwhile: If, like me, you’d never even heard the word “Muckleshoot” until now, you can learn more about the tribe here and here. But I’d be interested in hearing how all of this is being received by Pacific Northwesterners, Kraken fans, and Native Americans. Or at least that’s how it seems to me, especially after reading more about the deal (there’s good coverage here, here, and here). Or to put it another way, it seems to be motivated at least as much by civic interests as by commercial ones. It’s not quite as high-minded as the Jazz’s cancer charity patch (now appearing in its sixth consecutive season, and counting), but it definitely seems closer to that end of the spectrum than to, say, an ad for a sports book or a bank. I still wish teams wouldn’t sell space on their jerseys to outside interests, but this uni ad is clearly less distasteful than most of the others. (If you’re unfamilar with land acknowledgments, look here.)Īs part of the new ad deal, additional artwork celebrating Indigenous people will be featured at the Kraken’s arena, a multi-sport court will be built on the Muckleshoot reservation, and the team will create programs to increase hockey opportunities for Indigenous youth. The team also commissioned Native artwork for the arena, and a land-acknowledgment video is played before every Kraken home game. That same year, during the construction of the Kraken’s arena, which lies on the ancestral lands of the Coast Salish people, members of the tribe blessed the grounds. In the summer of 2019 - more than two years before the team’s on-ice debut, when the franchise was still known simply as NHL Seattle - team execs convened a listening session with 30 local Indigenous leaders. The Kraken had already established a relationship with the Muckleshoot tribe before the team played its first game, and before the name “Kraken” had even been chosen.
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