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Indigenous peoples have been an important part of our society from the very beginning. Many claims that their traditions, rich history, and culture make them extremely unique. And while this claim is very true, there is another factor that is becoming more integrated into indigenous peoples in our current society. This being their interaction with the capitalist economic system through their tribal enterprises and businesses. In this paper, I will illustrate how indigenous people interact with capitalism as the seller party who engages in the free market and will analyze the economic success that the indigenous peoples have been able to have when they interact with capitalism as their means to make a profit and accumulate wealth. Moreover, for this research paper, I will convey and explain how capitalism, the economic system that allows for private ownership of a business and involvement in a free market, has affected indigenous peoples in our current society in a positive manner as evident by their economic and social success in their Casino Tourist and Gamin tribal enterprises.
Nevertheless, one must look into what capitalism is and its origins to understand its impact on our current society. Capitalism is a concept that emerged and became popular in the mid-nineteenth century due to its high rate of usage. As Faulks makes clear, the term capitalism has been used so much so that the Oxford English Dictionary cited it in 1854 (Faulks 28). It is important to notice, however, that it wasn’t until the second century that the concept of capitalism was only first accepted in German, French, and English societies as conveyed by Kocka in his book (Kocka 2). Furthermore, Capitalism is the leading mode of production, distribution, and exchange in today’s society which, as a result, has been a powerful force in shaping the lives of those who live in society, according to Lippit and his book (Lippit i). This is conveying how powerful Capitalism has become to the point where it can be argued to be essential for the continuation of the world’s economy for it leads in production, distribution, and exchange which are important for economic success. As conveyed by Keith Faulk in chapter two of the book Marx and Other Four-Letter Words, “capitalism demands as much freedom from government interference as possible” (Faulk 29). In other words, the system of capitalism offers economic freedom from government control; those who partake in the capitalist system are free to make their own economic choice as well as participate in consensual trade in the context of business relations. This point is furthermore emphasized when Faulk conveys the stipulations that capitalism takes place under “the free market, where commodities are bought and sold according to the laws of supply and demand” (Fulk 29). In other words, those who participate in capitalism are doing so in a voluntary manner where they can decide to buy goods and services for a determined price by the seller or they can refuse to buy the goods or services from the seller. In the same manner, those who are selling goods or services have the right to set a price and allow the free market to decide if people will buy or not. As previously established, there are two parties in a capitalist system. Those who are seeking a service or good and those who are buying said service or good in a free, consensual manner that allows little to no government interference to avoid governmental control. Indigenous people’s enterprises have taken the role of the party that sells a service or good, while those who interact with said enterprises are the second party that buys the goods and services.
Now that I have established sufficient fundamental context and history of capitalism, we will discuss how the indigenous tribal enterprises and businesses that participate in the capitalist system since businesses are the soul of Capitalism. One said a business that indigenous peoples have been fruitful in is the casino enterprises. Casinos have always been a major attraction for people as well as a major form of entertainment for those who possess the ability to go to one. As conveyed by Mary Lawlor, “Casinos have drawn more crowds and more media attention in recent years than any other form of Native American tourism” (Lawlor 21). Casinos continue to captivate people for they have grown in its popularity as the media engages in promoting these indigenous peoples’ enterprises. Nonetheless, major crowds that the casinos attract also produce major income and profit which encourages the casino to continue its business for it demonstrates to be economically successful for the indigenous peoples. Their economic success within indigenous peoples can be conveyed when looking at The Pequots. According to Bross and Wyss, authors of the book Early Native Literacies in New England: A Documentary and Critical Anthology. University of Massachusetts Press, The Pequots are an indigenous tribe that is currently located in Connecticut at the time of colonization, they numbered about thirteen thousand and guarded an estimated two thousand square miles of territory (Bross, Wyss 130).
The Pequots were also considered a “powerful force” within colonial New England as well as before European contact, according to Bross and Wyss (Bross, Wyss 130). Unfortunately, the Pequots have been illustrated as aggressive and brutal due to the European colonial prejudices, as conveyed by Bross and Wyss (Bross, Wyss 130). Nonetheless, they are one of the most successful indigenous tribes within the capitalist community as conveyed by the fact that they are the owners of one of the most casinos in history; The Pequots are the owners of Foxwoods Resort Casino which is located in Connecticut, where the tribe itself resides as well. According to Capitalism in America: A History. Penguin Press, The United States of America is a well-known country for having the largest economy in the entire world which is attributed to capitalism and its influence over how business and enterprises are conducted (Greenspan & Wooldridge 2). This is important to note because The Foxwoods Resort is a prime example of an enterprise that has flourished in The United States since it is being conducted under a capitalist society. To furthermore emphasize its success, the casino has become an enterprise that, due to their extreme success, have made business history since their very beginning in 1992 until the present time according to Lawlor (Lawlor 31). Naturally, it makes complete sense that this particular casino enterprise is an example of an effective enterprise under a capitalist system; evidence of this is understood through the financial sponsorship from the casino which significantly stimulates the indigenous community, visible through The Pequots tribe as we learned from Lawlor (Lawlor 32). Ultimately, The Foxwoods Resort Casino is an example of how indigenous peoples’ tribal enterprises and businesses have flourished under a capitalist society, which as a result has affected the indigenous peoples in a positive economical way.
Another way that one can see how capitalism has positively affected indigenous peoples is through their tribal enterprises of tourism in our current society. Similar to casinos, indigenous peoples have become one of the major contributors to the successful tourism industry in our current society. Tourism is illustrated to be economic aid to indigenous communities where their ways of living have been compromised by the dominant societies where they belong to, as conveyed by the article “More like Ourselves: Indigenous Capitalism through Tourism” (Bunten 285 ). These enterprises of tourism constructed by indigenous communities have been of great help in helping them with economic issues and economic barriers they have had to face. Furthermore, it also breaks them apart from the society that they have had to live under because now they get to great enterprises and get their economic success through tourism, for example, instead of having to rely on the nonindigenous society that they live in under. They get to take more control of their way of life as well as their economic well being for they no longer have to rely on outside factors; they can produce successful enterprises using capitalism and allow themselves to become economically independent from the dominant society that lives under as well grow their economic success within the indigenous communities. According to Bunten, these tribal enterprises of tourism have become increasingly successful so much so that they are growing at a rapid pace by taking advantage of the dominant political economy, once their enterprise has become a franchisee (Bunten 285). When looking for an example of a successful tourism tribal enterprise in our current society, one could look at the Australian region where one of the most successful tribal tourism enterprises resides (Bunten 285). The Saxman Village Tours and Tamaki Maori Village has is recognized as one of the most commercially and financially successful trial enterprises in our current world (Bunten 285). Furthermore, Bunten illustrates how these enterprises are also known to be part of the first “wave” of genuinely owned tourism enterprises by indigenous peoples (Bunten 229). Established in the 1970s and 1989, these indigenous tourism enterprises have continued to be early examples of two enterprises that from the very beginning took the tourism industry by a storm, is that these enterprises are highly recognized to be part of the first group of indigenous-owned tourism enterprises at the time, according to Bunten (Bunten 229). Moreover, these tribal enterprises have stood the test of time since the 1970s and have continued to become economically lucrative under the capitalist system that allowed for these enterprises to flourish in the first place (Bunten 229). The Saxman Village Tours and Tamaki Maori Village, tourist businesses managed by indigenous peoples, have both entered the business world during a heavily capitalist-centered era where the possibility of starting a business owned by indigenous commands was possible and attainable, as viewed by Bunten (Bunten 230). The capitalist system not only allowed for the possibility and opportunity for these tourism enterprises to be established in the first place, but it continued to make them successful through the hard work that the indigenous peoples put into painting these enterprises since the 1970s and 1989. The fact that these enterprises that are functioning under capitalism are not only still in business today but are still growing in economic success to this day, conveys how capitalism continued to impact the indigenous peoples in a positive form.
Nonetheless, some counter-arguments have been raised through my research on the effects of capitalism on indigenous peoples that need to be recognized and addressed as to encourage further discussions. Previously, I mentioned The Foxwoods Resort Casino as an example of how capitalism has provided positive effects on the indigenous peoples because the casino was a tribal enterprise that is being run under a capitalist system. However, the argument can be made that caissons, like The Foxwoods Resort Casino, are questionable establishments due to its commercial gambling on Indian reservations across the United States of America, as recognized by Lawlor (Lawlor 31). Lawlor discusses that because capitalism is allowing these institutions to flourish and grow, it is expanding gambling and its addiction to many on reservations where many of them are located (Lawlor 31). Thus, it can be appealing and would make sense to argue that having casinos on reservations can bring considerable negative effects to the indigenous peoples for they are then prone to gamble which can negatively impact the indigenous peoples. This counter-argument, however, is not one that holds much influence or actual power against my thesis that capitalism has positive effects on tribal enterprises. The reason being that this counter-argument is simply expressing an obvious premise that can be used with any activity in today’s society. The premise is that when one is involved in an activity in an irresponsible manner, it can lead to negative effects and consequences. In this situation, the activity is casino gambling. The issue though is that this cannot be simply blamed on capitalism. It has more to do with human actions and decisions than capitalism itself. It cannot be denied that participating in gambling can be an issue that can lead to detrimental effects on people. However, to blame it heavily on capitalism for having indigenous people gamble by making casinos a successful business for indigenous peoples themselves is not a reasonable argument to make. Capitalism has allowed for tribal enterprises, such as the casinos, to succeed and thus have positive effects on indigenous peoples by providing them with economic success. It is not forcing people to gamble or make decisions. It allows people to have the freedom of choice by allowing them what to do without forcing them to take any actions.
Furthermore, some argue that just because indigenous peoples gain great economical gain from their casino enterprise, they do not truly have freedom in choice. As mentioned earlier in the paper, one of the main components of capitalism is the freedom that it provides to decide how individuals run their own business with little to no government interference in their business, besides state regulations. However, there is the argument that some convey which denies the indigenous peoples to truly have freedom under capitalism. This is due to the state-tribal gaming compact that is required when opening a class III gaming institution in a reservation in The United States; this compact, as explained by Lawlor, is between the tribal and the state governments which allows them to come to a business agreement as to how the institution will be run within the reservation (Lawlor 32). Based on this, some people argue that this is yet another manner in which the government is taking freedom away from the indigenous peoples through their businesses and thus the indigenous peoples do not have freedom under capitalism. The idea being that because state governments are requiring the tribal governments to seek approval through a deal with the state governments, they do not have the freedom of choice that capitalism is supposed to offer. Consequently, capitalism is restricting their freedom of choice in business because it is forcing them to make contact with the state governments. However, these state-tribal gaming contracts came as a result of The Indian Gaming Regulatory Act in 1988 which was created by the government to promote tribal economic development and to protect tribes from the hands of organized crime as well (Lawlor 32). Meaning that this small government interference with the indigenous peoples’ business of casinos is purely there to help protect the indigenous people’s businesses from falling prey to organized crime. Furthermore, the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act also serves to establish the official recognition of federally recognized Native American tribes as sovereign entities (Lawlor 32). As Lawlor explains it, the indigenous tribes can decide for themselves if they wish to pursue gaming businesses or not (Lawlor 32). Hence, giving the indigenous peoples much more freedom rather than restricting freedom, for nobody is forcing them to get involved in the casino business nor are they being restricted from participating in casino ventures. Hence, this counter-argument that these contracts with the state governments restrict the indigenous people’s freedom in business, is simply not accurate for it lacks to recognize the fact that these contracts came as a result of The Indian Gaming Regulatory Act which was created to provide these indigenous peoples who were interested in starting casino businesses, freedom to do so with little state involvement as possible under the act as emphasized by Lawlor.
In conclusion, after presenting my argument along with its evidence, it is clear that capitalism has overall affected indigenous peoples in our current society positively as evidenced by their economic and social success through their Casino and Tourism enterprises. Capitalism has allowed for established tribal enterprises to become economically successful with the hard work of those who are managing it which then causes the indigenous communities to gain economic strength (Bunten 286). One of the examples of tribal enterprises under the capitalist system was within the casino industry where indigenous people have developed casino tribal enterprises that have been proven to be economically stimulating which was conveyed through The Pequots, an indigenous tribe located in Connecticut, who are the owners of The Foxwoods Resort Casino located in their land of Connecticut (Lawlor 32). This tribally-owned casino enterprise has become one of the most well-known casinos in our current society due to its economic success the indigenous tribe has been able to work hard to maintain and expand (Lawlor 31). Thus, Capitalism allowed the indigenous people to have the freedom to decide how they wanted to run their business without any major interference from the outside. They have the freedom to decide how they wanted to run their enterprise and because they made constructive decisions regarding their enterprise, they were able to flush under capitalism who provided them with an open and consensual market where people participated in the exchange of a service, casino gaming, for monetary value. The example of tribal tourism was then given to furthermore convey how capitalism has been producing positive effects for indigenous peoples since tribally-owned tourist enterprises have been extremely successful under capitalism (Bunten 285). Capitalism has allowed for freedom of business choice with little to no outside interference (Faulk 29). It offers a consensual market where nobody is being forced to behave in any way unless they consent. Capitalism has ultimately allowed well-built tribal enterprises to economically succeed in our current society for it does not offer restrictions but instead offers them a free market where they have been affected.
Work Cited
- Bunten, Celeste Alexis. “More like Ourselves: Indigenous Capitalism through Tourism.” American Indian Quarterly, vol. 34, no. 3, 2010, pp. 285–311.
- Bross, Kristina, and Hilary E. Wyss, editors. Early Native Literacies in New England: A Documentary and Critical Anthology. University of Massachusetts Press, 2008. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt5vk5sh. Accessed 26 Mar. 2020.
- Faulks, Keith. “Capitalism.” Marx and Other Four-zz Letter Words, edited by Georgina Blakeley and Valerie Bryson, Pluto Press, London; Ann Arbor, MI, 2005, pp. 28–45. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt18fsbp5.6. Accessed 6 Mar. 2020.
- Greenspan, Alan, and Wooldridge, Adrian. Capitalism in America: A History. Penguin Press, 2018
- Kocka, Jürgen. Capitalism: A Short History. Princeton University Press, 2016. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctvc77kv8. Accessed 6 Mar. 2020.
- Roberto Veneziani. Economica, vol. 74, no. 293, 2007, pp. 179–180. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/4541519. Accessed 3 Apr. 2020.
- Lawlor M. Public native American: tribal self-representations in casinos, museums, and powwows. New Brunswick, N.J.: Rutgers University Press; 2006.
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