The Spokane Tribe of Indians's logo for their new casino was revealed on May 31.
The Spokane Tribe of Indians' $400 million casino has a name and a logo.
During a May 31 press conference in Airway Heights, members of the Spokane's tribal council presented the new logo and name for the casino - "Spokane Tribal Casino." The facility will be located on Highway 2 west of Craig Road.
The press conference was at the old RnR Super Store at 13918 W. Highway 2 where the tribe held a job fair to hire prospective employees. The facility will serve as a temporary office until the casino is finished being built. Behind the office are two more buildings, one of which will be used to train casino staff and another for office space. Once the casino is finished, which is scheduled for late 2017, the Spokane's will move its operations to the facility.
The casino's logo design features two horses - one staring to the left, which Spokane Tribal Council Chair Carol Evans said symbolized looking at the past, and the other gazing right - which references looking toward the future. The horses, which are an important part of the Spokane's culture, represent pride, strength, dedication and perseverance.
Below the horses are two lines representing drumsticks that are used in a traditional drum circle.
Between the horses are three markings, representing the Upper, Middle and Lower Spokane Indians that lived along the river. The typeface used in the logo reflects historical traits and the arrow in the middle of the "A" represents luck.
"It is a bright day and a bright future for our people," Evans said.
For the casino's name and logo, the Spokane's spent several months gathering input from the tribal council, elders and the community.
The Spokane's also created their new website for the casino - http://www.spokanetribecasino.com - online. It features details of casino amenities, construction updates and surveys for customer input.
Evans gave an update on the casino's operations, explaining that Hard Rock Hotel and Casino will not be a part of the casino as negotiations between the Spokane's and Hard Rock were unsuccessful. However, the Spokane's will negotiate with other companies as they expand the facility.
When asked about the lawsuit by the Spokane County Board of Commissioners against the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) Department of the Interior, Evans said she was personally saddened by the county's decision and hoped the board would support the project. During their May 30 meeting, the commissioners approved a resolution to file a lawsuit against Interior for its 2015 determination that the Spokane's casino would not be a detriment to the area.
The county commissioners are not the only group taking legal action against Interior. In April, the Kalispel Tribe of Indians also filed a lawsuit against Interior for its determination, permitting gaming on off-reservation Indian lands by the Spokane Tribe Economic Project and approving the project's environmental impact statement.
Evans explained the Spokane's spent a decade seeking approval for the project - among the project supporters are Airway Heights and Fairchild Air Force Base - and answered all of the questions relating to the project through its Environmental Impact Statement.
"If they (Spokane County) continue the lawsuit, we will support Interior," she added.
Al Stover can be reached at [email protected].
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