Gambling with Identity: Self-Representation of American Indians on Official Tribal Websites

Abstract

This analysis of 224 official American Indian websites examines how tribes with the incentive to attract tourists to casino gambling represent their identities on the Internet. The framing analysis found that nearly 4 out of 10 tribes with casinos represent their own identities using the historic relic frame—primarily relying on the exotic Other, such as tepees and stoic chiefs in headdresses, locked in the past. In contrast, only 1 in 10 of the tribes without casinos communicates the same identity, instead being more likely to display a voiced participant frame of modern images and assertions of sovereignty and resistance. Implications for ethnic tourism are discussed, including the continued marginalization and stereotyping of American Indians, in this case, by American Indians themselves.