Customer Reviews

Without Reservation: The Making of America's Most Powerful Indian Tribe and Foxwoods the World's Largest Casino

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"Without Reservation: The Making of America's Most Powerful Indian Tribe and Foxwoods, the World's Largest Casino" by Jeff Benedict is an absorbing portrait of an extraordinary phenomenon - the emergence from obscurity within the past three decades of the Mashantucket Pequot Indian tribe and their rapid climb to unparalleled wealth through their Foxwoods Casino in Ledyard, Connecticut. I am sure that many people view these events as a particularly gratifying example of a "rags to riches" story, given the justifiable sympathy now widely felt towards Native Americans after centuries of betrayal and injustice. However, as someone who has spent most of his adult life as a resident of southeastern Connecticut and who is personally acquainted with some of the people discussed in Benedict's book, I have been long aware that the story of the Pequots and their casino is more complex and perhaps less inspirational than might appear at first glance.

"Without Reservation" raises serious questions about whether the Mashantucket Pequots are who they claim to be, a legitimate tribe of Native Americans. Simply put, are they instead merely opportunists claiming an Indian identity to fraudulently cash in on laws and programs intended to help genuine Native Americans? Some historic tribes in the East after centuries of intermarriage with persons of European and/or African descent and through acculturation with the white society have ceased to exist. According to Benedict's research, Richard "Skip" Hayward, the leader who formulated and led the supposed resurrection of the Mashantucket Pequot tribe in the 1970's, has no traceable Pequot ancestry at all. Benedict contends that Hayward's entire Indian descent comes solely through his great-great-grandfather, a man who identified himself not as a Pequot, but as a Narragansett (ironically, the Narragansetts were one of the tribes who allied themselves with the English during the 17th Century war which destroyed the power of the original Pequot tribe). Records indicate that Hayward had consistently identified himself as being "white" until the mid-1970's when it suddenly became advantageous to claim he was a Native American to gain possession of the small "Western Pequot" reservation maintained by the State of Connecticut and to pursue a legal claim against neighboring properties. Benedict further asserts that the Mashantucket Pequot tribe, when granted Federal recognition by a special Act of Congress in 19XX, would have been wholly unable to meet the Bureau of Indian Affairs requirements for such Federal recognition. In his view, many people, sincere in their desire to help Native Americans obtain financial and cultural security, were deceived into supporting a fraudulent cause and unintentionally allowed a small group of imposters to gain extraordinary power by operating a gambling casino shielded from taxation and state regulation. The enormous quantity of dollars flowing through Foxwoods Casino has radically altered the economic structure of the region, for good or ill, and has given the Mashantuckets enormous clout through their frequent and heavy contributions to political parties and elected officials.

Hayward as presented in Benedict's book is a fascinating paradox. Is he a charismatic visionary who followed his dream to skillfully lead his people into wealth and independence, or is he a deceptive manipulator who lied and cheated nearly everyone en route to personal riches and influence? The answer supplied by Benedict's book seems to be that Hayward is both. "Without Reservation" does not stop with Skip Hayward's climb to wealth and power, but continues on through his subsequent fall from tribal leadership, overthrown by other Mashantuckets whose claim of Pequot identity is as suspect as that of Hayward himself. The picture which Benedict paints is one of naked greed and arrogance rising to the top.

I am certain that some people will dismiss Benedict's book as being "anti-Indian", but that is not the case. His contention is that the Mashantucket Pequots are simply not an Indian tribe in any genuine sense of the term, and that they have taken advantage of and have perverted situations created for the benefit of actual Native American peoples. I am equally certain that his claims will be vigorously denounced by the Mashantuckets, and I eagerly look forward to seeing what evidence, if any, can be produced to counter Benedict's arguments.

Jeff Benedict has written a book which tells a compelling story, although undoubtedly it will not be the final word on the subject. It is a story skillfully told in a gripping narrative which vividly depicts the actors in the drama: the Mashantuckets, the politicians, the ordinary citizens who woke up to find the world's largest casino springing to life in their rural community, and of course the ever-present lawyers, eager to distort and shade the truth in their roles of advocates (or in their chase of the big bucks).

In his well written and well researched book "Without Reservation," author Jeff Benedict traces the history of the formation and rise to tremendous wealth of the "modern day" Western Mashantucket Pequot "Indian" tribe of southeastern Connecticut. It is the incredible story of a fraud perpetrated upon the taxpayers of our nation. It is the story of how state and federal government officials were duped into believing that a handful of ordinary citizens were the remnants of the ancient Pequot Indian tribe. It is a story of opportunism, greed, and abuse of astronomical proportions. A flawed system designed to help poor tribal members of American Indian tribes is cleverly manipulated to serve a handful of opportunistic and undeserving people. After reading the book, two adjectives come immediately to mind: "astonishing" and "outrageous." A more perfect example of the insanity that is today's Federal Indian Policy cannot be imagined.

Attorney Tom Tureen had masterminded Indian land claims against several New England states based on their alleged violations of federal statutes known as the Trade & Intercourse Acts. Among other things, the Acts forbid the purchase of Indian lands without federal approval, but the applicability of the Acts within the 13 original colonies was and is an ongoing unsettled controversy. Under the direction of attorney Tureen, a handful of relatives of the last surviving resident of the 200 acre Pequot reservation, Elizabeth George, decide to form the new tribe in order to join the land claim litigation. To accomplish this "They needed to come together and start acting like a tribe," and "most importantly, the group had to establish residency on the reservation," writes Benedict. Regardless of the fact that tribal membership was completely foreign to them and that they knew little or nothing about the culture or history of the Pequots, the group proceeded with its charade. Elizabeth George however, the one person upon which the tribe was basing its ancestry, had only a faint connection to Indian ancestry, but to the Narragansett Indians and not the Western Pequots asserts Benedict.

The newly manufactured "tribe," with the help of Tureen and the Native American Rights Fund (NARF), files a land claim against the state of Connecticut and wins their claim by forcing an out of court settlement. Tureen is quoted in the book as describing these Indian land claims as "something we made up" and were based on "an utterly untested theory." Tureen states, "If the Supreme Court ever tested the issue, it would say that the Nonintercourse Act did not apply to any of these tribes. So settlement was critically important to our strategy in all of these cases." Incredibly, against the protestations of the Bureau of Indian Affairs(BIA), Congress ratifies the Pequot land claim settlement without knowing whether or not the people claiming to be the Western Mashantucket Pequot tribe are indeed the genuine descendants of the historic tribe, since the "tribe" had thus far successfully avoided the BIA's tribal recognition process. The settlement awards the "Pequots" $900,000 and allows them to expand their reservation to some 2,000 acres. The tribe then proceeds down a road leading from high stakes bingo to the riches of their Foxwoods casino - all made possible by the special laws, perks, and privileges created for Indian tribes by federal Indian policy.

Benedict's book is extremely important in that it reveals a controversy regarding an alleged fraud of monumental proportions that demands a just solution. The good news is that Benedict's allegations are readily verifiable. Television news program "60 Minutes" is reportedly in the process of taping a segment on Benedict's book and the municipalities surrounding the Pequot reservation and its Foxwoods casino are calling for a congressional investigation into the allegations brought forward in "Without Reservation." A forthcoming solution may well prove disastrous for the "Western Mashantucket Pequots."

I was raised in Ledyard, attending school with "members" of the tribe, sitting next to them in classes. I remember Ledyard before the Bingo hall and Mashantucket ownership of Mr. Pizza but I never fully understood the legalities behind it all. Now I do. Some have said this book is too simplified, but thanks to Mr. Benedict, lay-people such as myself can understand how this happened to Ledyard. Finally, someone has given us a clear picture of the complex actions, laws and history behind this turquoise monstrosity in the hills of Connecticut. Incidently, I don't bump into too many people around here who are racist against Indians. What does bother us - and what Mr. Benedict so accurately described - is the sheer recklessness of those who call themselves Mashantuckets. Included in that group, sadly, is their leader who, I would imagine, is an embarassment to the Native American community. Native Americans are a proud and noble people. Benedict documents for those not from 'these parts' how ignoble many of their lifestyles are - including the 'leadership' of the tribe. I for one thought the book was incredibly balanced - Benedict shed much positive light on other tribes, and I actually felt compassion for 'Skip' Hayward and Mickey Brown by the end of the book. That's saying a lot coming from a 'Ledyarder'.

Jeff Benedict's book has touched a raw nerve. The "average customer review" of 3-1/2 stars masks individual reviewer ratings, which are almost entirely 5 stars versus 1 star, depending on where readers stand on the highly emotional issue of tribal recognition and Indian casinos.

This book rasies some serious flaws in the recognition process that supporters of the Mashantucket Tribe would rather not have come to light. Indeed, there are already calls for a Congressional investigation as a result of Benedict's expose. No wonder some folks rate this book only one star.

On the other hand, residents of the host towns surrounding the Mashantucket Pequot reservation (where this book is a best seller) who have confronted first hand the issues Benedict describes, give the book Amazon's highest five star rating.

The book reads like a novel but it is by no means fiction. The people Benedict writes about are real and so are the events. This book is essential reading for people throughout the United States whose communities face the prospect of Indian casinos or tribal recognition.

I am an enrolled member of the Salish & Kootenai Tribes ofthe Flathead Reservation and I highly resent this book...The Indiansdid not make the gambling law in the United States Congress,non-Indians did and all the Pequots did was to take advantage of them. I commend them for having the insight to use the laws made by non-Indians to benefit their own people. He did not even interview one Tribal member or any other Indians like myself...Maybe Benedict should write a book about his ancestors...instead of attempting to become another so-called "Indian expert" which is someone who is 20 miles away from home with a brief case.

Without Reservation is an engaging read for those who have already allied themselves against the Pequots. But for those who have an interest in federal Indian law, Indian gaming, and the genuine history of the tribe, the book is short on substance and grand on generalizations.

The book is also laughable in parts for its weak attempt at explaining Indian law to those who know little of it.

Benedict makes several slip-ups in his assessment of events, mostly with Skip Hayward's self-identification of himself as Indian. Its begins early on, with his retelling of Hayward's first meeting with then Maine Commissioner of Indian Affairs John Stevens.

This is a serious flaw, as Benedict hinges much of his attack on Hawyard and the tribe on members who allegedly referred to themselves as white.

There are also problems with Benedict's lack of direct reference to crucial legislation. For instance, Benedict's criticism of the Pequot's view of themselves as a "corporation" is without direct reference to the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934. A layperson might simply believe Benedict's conclusions about the tribe rather than investigate the legal backdrop to the issues.

The book's style and tone are problematic. He never interviewed Hayward nor any tribal member first hand, yet he presents conversations as if they were heard first hand, when in fact they were conducted second hand with disgruntled partners, former employees, and prior contacts, including Hayward's first two wives. Corroboration of key conversations does not seem to prevent Benedict from painting them in a light less favorable to the Pequots.

Benedict also employs devices and retorts more familiar to racist, anti-Indian movements than serious journalism. What Benedict claims are privileges afforded to Indian tribes are actually rights. What Benedict claims are rights are actually privileges. Issues such as taxation, regulation, and tribal membership are freely thrown about, giving off the impression that the point Benedict sorely needs his book to make cannot be backed up with real proof so Benedict must rely on double talk and sleight-of-hand to convince the already convinced that the Pequots aren't real.

Benedict has a racial fixation, it seems. When a BIA employee comes out to the reservation to survey land to be placed into trust, he makes it a point to say the man is "7/8 Indian."

One might ask why his publisher would not provide copies for review. Academics and legal experts will have serious problems with the book.

Finally, someone has explained to the rest of us how this tribe and casino could have transformed Connecticut right before our eyes. In a quick read, Benedict has given us the details of a situation that has left many people baffled for the past several years. Well written and easy to understand, this book takes you on the journey that created not only a whole tribe, but an incredibly profitable casino in the heart of a quiet state. With amazingly indepth research, Benedict also uncovers the political forces that made this all possible. I strongly recommend "Without Reservation" to anyone.

I just read the 20 reviews and found some of them almost as interesting as the book. But, without Tom Tureen, the shrewd lawyer in this story, Skip never could have pulled this deal off. Never. It's the classic story of greed, money and power. Unfortunately, it's not about Native Americans. The Haywards are not Indians, they're white. Jeff Benedict says maybe a drop or two of Narrangansett blood, but even if the drop or two is Pequot blood, the Haywards are white, not Indian, and I think the author makes that quite clear by his definition of what constitutes an Indian and what doesn't. It's possible that Skip bought or bribed some Indians to join his ersatz Pequot Tribe as the author points out. And why not; when you've got the benjamins, baby, you can reconstruct any kind of history you wish. He should have at least bought a few with red skin; the picture in the lobby of the new Cultural Center tells the story of the "new Pequots" - white and black and yellow and tan faces, but not a red face, or even a hint of one, in the bunch. The author did his homework; if he missed a point or two as some of the reviewers said, it doesn't detract from the overall truth of the storyline. All of the above having been said, I came away from the book liking Skip Hayward and his Foxwoods Casino and his Cultural Center with its story of the history of the Pequots. He did it right. Skip is the American Dream personified - he made it big and, in a way, he did get even for some of the stuff the Whites pulled on the Indians over the years - even if he's not an Indian.

Jeff Benedict, you have done some amazing research in putting your book together. My husband and I, FULL BLOODED NAVAJO INDIANS, even read the bibliography. Completely familiar with government issues, we can see how these non-Indians fell though the cracks to become what they are today. It is embarassing to hear people call themselves American Indian when they are not. Our people have 4 directions, have come through 4 worlds and have 4 sacred mountains, and to that effect, have 4 grandparents contributing to the culture of each of us. Past the 1/4 "blood quantum" one need not be considered a Navajo. The same should be true of all American Indian tribes. If you are 1/16 Indian, you are 15/16 something else. You cannot contribute to our people. You do not know what extreme poverty is like. Your "reservation" is to you a tax-free haven. Whereas ours is also tax free, it is for many a prison of unemployment, alcoholism, abuse and depression. I am not saying that you need to experience these things to be an American Indian, but you do need to understand what many of us come from and live through. I implore Congress to look into the geneology of these people. If these "Pequots" have made a false claim, I hope that they are made to return what they have wrongfully taken.

Mr. Benedict has done it again. This expose has touched the hearts and nerves of many. His writing is superb, his reseach detailed and objective. He tells the truth for the first time. Native Americans continue to be discriminated against, and now someone other than Native Americans is making profits in their name. Benedict details this injustice with poetic style that reads like a novel. Bravo. What next Mr. Benedict?