Reznet

People line up outside—some for hours—before opening of the Navajo Nation's new Fire Rock casino.Reznet Photo by Andi Murphy

Navajos Bet Big on Tribe's First Casino

By Andi Murphy

CHURCH ROCK, N.M. — People stood in line for eight hours waiting to gamble in the Navajo Nation's first casino, Fire Rock, a temporary casino being used to test the gaming waters for the tribe.

"The feeling of tension is building up," said Nia Francisco, 57, part of a large and, at times, unruly crowd waiting to enter the casino on Wednesday.

Francisco and hundreds of other excited attendees waited in two lines that — if connected into one — would have circled the 65,000-square-foot building, which holds 2,600. The Navajo president, vice president, Miss Navajo, veterans and traditional folk singers attended to say prayers, play anthems and sing songs in front of the casino's entrance.

"We never really see how we can come together and do something together," Francisco said. "But this is it."

Success at Fire Rock may mean more casinos

Although Francisco said she came all the way from Crystal, N.M., to watch the ribbon cutting and performances, most people were there to break in the 472 slot machines, eight game tables and five blackjack tables.

"There were some people who wanted to camp out," said Rhonda Ray, marketing manager for the casino.

Ray said that if Fire Rock proves to be a success, the tribe plans to build casinos near Farmington and Shiprock in New Mexico as well as Arizona locations near Chinle, Antelope and Flagstaff. The tribe might keep Fire Rock as either a permanent site or a training facility.

People wanted to see this piece of Navajo history being made, Ray said. To prepare for it, they had on their Navajo traditional dress and jewelry, their hair up in buns and tight grips on their purses and wallets.

"If you think all casinos are the same," Ray said, "think again."

Decor mashes modern and traditional together

Fire Rock boasts modern designs mixed with traditional Navajo culture. The inside walls showcase the Navajos' four sacred mountains and clusters of slot machines are labeled by seven different monuments found on the Navajo reservation. A clash of mantels, flowers, illuminations, glasses, dizzying carpet and pillars wowed guests as they walked into the casino.

Fire Rock is expected to bring in about $32 million a year, which will be used to the betterment of the people, said Navajo Nation President Joe Shirley.

"We did it with our own money," Shirley said as the crowd applauded and yelled in excitement.

That is something that other Native American tribes didn't do, said Raymond Etcitty, a member of the casino's general council and the coordinating attorney for the Fire Rock project.

Casino is built by, run by Natives

Fire Rock has 272 employees, 92 percent of whom are Navajos, and all management positions are held by Navajo tribal members, Etcitty said. Navajos did the banking, financing and construction and will maintain the casino.

"What other tribe can say that?" Etcitty asked. "From start to finish."

Database manager Ken Johnson has been working at Fire Rock for two weeks. On opening day, he bustled around and wove his way through the building crowd on the inside to help give directions or answer questions. He sometimes feels like an ambassador for his people and said the jobs that the casino is offering them are cherished.

"I love this place," said Johnson. "It's open, we're here and there's more to come."

Andi Murphy, Navajo, is a student at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces. A graduate of the Freedom Forum's 2007 American Indian Journalism Institute, Murphy interned as a reporter at The Daily Times in Farmington, N.M., and, last summer, at the Great Falls Tribune in Montana.