As we entered the Mashantucket Pequot Reservation, http://www.pequotmuseum.org/ we discussed the Indians. I pointed out to our daughter that while on the reservation which is where Foxwoods is located, that some of the rules that we have grown accustomed to may not apply. This did not make total sense to her. So, we explained how a reservation is almost like another country within our country. Granted they are not sovereign but they can do things differently.

Upon entering Foxwoods, it became apparent very quickly. When we arrived at the restaurant we were asked whether we wanted a "smoking or non-smoking" table. Huh? Where we live smoking in restaurants has been banned for awhile. So, we asked for non-smoking and proceeded on.

A couple days later we decided to visit Mohegan Sun located at the Mohegan Reservation http://www.mohegan.nsn.us/. Again, we went for food. This time it was a buffet certificate purchased in the same way as the Foxwoods one. After our lunch, we noticed they had a kids section of arcade games. We decided to visit the area to play some games. Unlike all other arcades I have ever seen, this one was very different. See you could not just put in a token and play a game. The way to play was to get a free card an put money on it. While this bugged me, we decided to go along with it and put a couple bucks on the card.

Shortly thereafter I figured out why they use the card. The money disappeared very quickly. It turns out that each game is not 25 or 50 cents. Nooooo, one was 28 cents another was $1.03 and others were 73 cents. Huh? When I went back because I could not figure out why with an even amount on the card we had 23 cents left I learned that Mohegan Sun sets up their arcade VERY differently.

We decided to add a couple bucks more. This time we ended up with .20 cents on the card and I took it to the cashier and asked for the money back. I was informed they don’t refund the money. How incredibly convenient. So, I was suppose to carry a plastic card, that never expires, for 20 cents? Needless to say, I gave it to another kid there and left.

As we walked, we talked about how off a reservation the business would have been forced to refund the money. In addition, the business would never have survived with such weird priced games. The only thing we could conclude was that it was a way for them to make more money.

While we had discussed Indian Reservations and how they came to be, the reality of how they operate differently than the rest of the state and country became very evident in these real life situations. In the end, our daughter learned about why there were reservations, why these tribes decided to pursue their income from gambling, how tribe members get paid on the profits and how a group of people and their culture can survive. As we walked through the casino we saw different artifacts, sculptures, statues, and symbols from each tribe. We located the Tribal Commission and discussed what their role was in the casino. All-in-all I am pretty confident that I doubt our daughter would have experienced a social studies lesson like this in private or public school and we even got to eat while doing it!