"Vienna Mortenson isn't your typical gambler. She prefers to stay under the radar, using her poker winnings to support her family and her community, including the local search and rescue team, which she heads up. Out in the backcountry there's no time forhesitation when lives are on the line. Vienna prides herself on being tough and decisive. She's not the sort to make a fool of herself over a guy, especially one who left her high and dry without...

In 1979, Florida Seminoles opened the first tribally operated high-stakes bingo hall in Native North America. At the time, their annual budget stood at less than $2 million. By 2006, net income from gaming surpassed $600 million. This dramatic shift from poverty to relative economic security has translated into tangible benefits for tribal citizens, including employment, universal health insurance, and social services. Renewed political self-governance...

Who is shaping the future of economic development in Indian Country? Who has a say in tribal economic growth and who benefits? What role do American Indian workers play in shaping how tribal economies and enterprises work? What would it mean to conceive of indigenous self-determination from the vantage point of work and workers? The Work of Sovereignty addresses these vital questions. It explores the political, economic, and cultural forces that structure...