My opposition to the casino is based on historical, traditional, and cultural concerns. Many Native communities are caught in a cycle of what one Canadian economics professor has dubbed the “politics of dependency.”

Maine citizens assume we want the casino for self-sufficiency purposes; needs are promised to be fulfilled from casino profits. What constitutes a need and the difference between a want and greed is blurred with revenues in the millions. Families aspire to a higher standard of living goaded on by the comfort that is our privilege as Americans.

A casino is alien to Native culture, based on the worst tenets of Euro-American culture. If one’s culture is alienated, what is left?

On Sept. 8 the Maine Medical Association of more than 100 doctors unanimously voted to oppose a gambling casino in Maine. The resolution said a casino would pose a threat to the state’s public health and result in increased crime, addiction, domestic abuse and suicide. The association said state funding for gambling addiction has been woefully inadequate, and the casino referendum bill contains no funding for such programs.

One culture forces subcultures to adapt; however, it is difficult to change Native culture, although pressure to assimilate is high and presented as an achievement. Long-lasting change takes time; the casino is a quick-fix approach to a situation with deep historical roots. Traditional leaders take time considering the effect of decisions on their descendants. The question is not if Native people survive a casino; the issue is if the culture promoting the casino will survive.

Well-intentioned Maine citizens appease themselves believing we overwhelmingly want the casino. Non-Native people will profit from it while using our tribal name. We flex our sovereignty muscles in the political arena often emerging with indistinguishable values with only skin adorned by the outward depictions of our culture, the same adornments to allure us to, and adorn, the casino.

Poor people need the predicted income; however, the prices we will pay far outweigh the perceived benefits. The county jail holds many of our youth. Addictions have robbed us of our young adults: six in four years. The plan for a treatment center in Cutler base was blocked.

Native people are viewed as problems, depending on the discipline. To some educators, we exist as educational problems, or challenge. In 1995, Maine Indian Education (the office of the superintendent for the three Indian schools: Beatrice Rafferty, Indian Township and Indian Island) had 36 high school seniors; 20 did not graduate. In 2000, three out of 37 high school seniors did not graduate. The total for six years was 85 dropouts. Many subsequently enrolled in post- secondary education; many did not.

The casino is not a moral issue, it is a humanistic concern that underlies discussion. Will a casino deepen traditional spirituality?

Cultural values sustained us as a distinct people based on sense of humor, sharing, reciprocity, extended family and consensus decision-making. Our language reflects our values; there is no gender in our vocabulary. Egalitarianism made our communities work effectively. American faces many problems: racism, sexism, the label of “the most powerful nation in the world”, and the myth of the American Dream. Can a culture that espouses profit at any cost solve the “problems” of people who value sharing? Corporate business and reciprocity are incompatible.

To make a difference in Native communities, we must build on the existing strengths and resources and place emphasis on opportunities for life-enhancing development. We are expert in trades and educational disciplines. Students could broaden goals in language and tribal histories. “This can all be done with money from the casino,” proponents clamor.

The majority of Native people deserve employment conducive to healthy families. We need stories of our culture hero Koluskap and the values he epitomizes. Our culture may be assured if our children speak and live the values contained in our language.

If the casino referendum passes we will remain dependent and lack employment that reflects our values. The casino may determine the cultural demise of a group. Peek into your past and determine your part in the Passamaquoddy historical reality. If you cannot bear to hear our story, you will not be able to hear yours, nor will you be able to perceive who we are and of what we are capable. We know, we live with, and we die from the “problems,” and it is us who can change the course of our lives.

Maine voters touting Yankee ingenuity can support humane, environmentally enhancing economic development that will further human development by not supporting a tribal casino.

Mary Bassett is a member of the Passamaquoddy Tribe and lives in Pleasant Point in Perry.