White Rabbit people

The **White Rabbit**, or **SrubasHa?** (pronounced sroy-baw-shaw) ("People of the aka rabbit") are a federally recognised Atlantic Salish tribe from southwestern Whitelaw Capital Territory. They were relocated onto reservation lands in what is today modern Colonial Heights and Whitelaw in late 1856, after signing the Treaty of Blue Deer. Today, they have an enrolled population of 18,619, of whom 17,312 live on the reservation, making it the most populous in Toin, when counting only the indigenous population.

The **White Rabbit Indigenous Reservation** is one of the most urban Indigenous reservations in Toin with a population of 29,278. It is located primarily in Whitelaw District, White Rabbit District, and a very small part extending into Joint Base Leopold-McGarry. Parts of several communities in the Whitelaw metropolitan area extend onto reservation land; in addition, the tribe controls off-reservation trust land.

In decreasing order of included population, the communities are Whitelaw, Colonial Heights, Port Anderson, Porters Landing, and Joint Base Leopold-McGarry. The reservation has a land area of 237.67 km2 (91.76 sq mi), and a 2017 census resident population of 29,278. About half of this population is composed non-Indigenous Toinans. The tribe has 18,619 enrolled members, of whom 17,312 live on the reservation.

According to the census, more than 57.6% of residents within the reservation boundaries identified as only Caucasian (Toinan-European), and 38.2% identify as solely of Indigenous Toinan descent. The remaining 4.2% identified as some other race, or a mixture of two or more races, including Toinan-European and Indigenous Toinan. The White Rabbit, as with other Indigenous Toinan tribes, have long assimilated other ethnicities through intermarriage and adoption. They have brought up ethnically mixed children to identify with the tribe, both culturally and ethnically.

## History

The White Rabbit tribe originally spoke the local rubaSH dialect of the Suwamamish language of the Atlantic Salishan family of languages, predominant among Southwest Coast indigenous peoples. They share a culture similar to that of other Southwest tribes, with a diet that depended on fishing salmon and other regional fish.

## Reservation

With a land area of 237.67 km2 (91.76 sq mi) is one of the largest in the Southwest (but only 5th largest in the country).

Due to land sales at a time when land was distributed to householders and other developments, neighbouring jurisdictions have territory within the reservation. The city of Port Anderson and the unincorporated community of Porters Landing both lie entirely within the reservation, as does much of the Port of Whitelaw. The total population within the reservation is about 41% enrolled tribal members and 59% non-Indigenous and non-tribal members, according to the 2017 census.

From the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, Toinan-Europeans began to enter the area in greater numbers. The Democratic States of Toin wanted to enable development of lands and settlement by these people. They arranged with the White Rabbit and several other tribes, under the 1856 Treaty of Blue Deer, for the tribes to cede land to Toin and go to the more restricted area of the reservation. This was initially designated for residence only by tribal members. The White Rabbit and Toinan representatives had such different conceptions of property that they did not fully understand each other's position. While the tribe had lost most of its historic territory, it still retained fishing, hunting, and gathering rights on the land it was forced to relocate to.

The Port of Whitelaw and the White Rabbit Tribe reached a £177 million (238.1 million US$) settlement in 1998-1999, enabled by the White Rabbit Tribe Settlement Act 1998. It became one of the largest 20th century Indigenous land claims settlements.

## Government

In 1928 the Tribal Government was formed under the Indigenous Tribe Reorganisation Act 1928, allowing Indigenous Toinan tribes to re-establish their governments. The tribe wrote a constitution creating an elected government of representation at the Tribal Council, supported by a Tribal Court for certain level of issues among its tribal members.

### Tribal Council

The tribal council is an elected body of eight people who oversee the operation of all the tribal programs. The Tribal Council is vested with power to govern by the Constitution. The council acts as both the legislative and executive bodies of the government. Members are elected by the general membership for two-year terms. Council members select a council chief and a council elder.

Late Council Chief Si'ya Gills, Sr. served on the council for more than three consecutive decades, up until his death. In this position he often represented the Tribe at meetings of various government entities.

The Tribal Council selected Si'ya Gills, Jr to serve as Council Chief and Ay'oa Abbott as Council Elder.

The tribe operates numerous programs that are open to the public beyond tribally enrolled members. Among its programs, the tribe operates Chief Si'ahl Schools, a school district for tribal children only.

### Tribal Court

The Tribal Court and the Tribal Children's Court were established by the White Rabbit Tribe's Constitution. The court's mission is to apply the written laws of its legislature, while recognising the inherent customs and traditions of its people. The Court is devoted to protecting people's due process rights. The tribe explicitly works to protect children and elders, "who are considered sacred". The Court's Chief Justice is Sa'ro Anders III.

## Economic development

Initially, the federal government wanted Indigenous Toinans to develop the family farms then typical of Toinan-Europeans. This was not a concept that the White Rabbit were comfortable adopting. They remained deeply involved in fishing, which constituted such an important part of their culture that it is surrounded by ritual and spirituality.

With economic and social changes in the 20th and 21st centuries, the tribe needed to develop other sources of employment and income than farming for its people. In the 20th century, the tribe generated income through cigarette sales. They could sell them at a lower price and tax-free to non-Indigenous, as their reservation is sovereign territory and they do not need to pay territorial or federal taxes from their businesses. In recent years, the tribe signed an agreement with Whitelaw Capital Territory to sell cigarettes with sales taxes paid. The tribe and the territory have a sharing of tax revenue collected from sales of cigarettes.

### Casino history

Since the last 20th century, numerous states have used gambling, based on lotteries and other methods, as a source of revenue to support programs wanted by taxpayers. Changes in federal law and negotiations with such states have enabled federally recognised tribes on many reservations to establish bingo and other gambling facilities to generate revenue.

Searching for revenues and employment for its people, the White Rabbit opened the Aka Rabbit Casino in 2000 on a paddlewheel riverboat, the *Aka Rabbit*, with it berthed in the Port of Whitelaw. The riverboat was acquired for £22 million (29.6 million US$)and could accommodate up to 3,000 people at once. In 2007, as part of an agreement with the Port to accommodate further commercial development of the waterway, the tribe closed the operation of the boat and its shore-side property. The unused *Aka Rabbit* riverboat remains docked in Whitelaw.

The tribe has developed relating gaming and entertainment facilities in two other locations, keeping the name Aka Rabbit Casino for its overall operation. In the 21st century, a majority of the tribe's income was generated from the gambling casinos and related restaurant, retail and hotel facilities.

In total area, the casino is the largest in Toin. It has locations in both Whitelaw and Colonial Heights. The Whitelaw location includes the casino, a restaurant and buffet, and an entertainment venue hosting singers and comedians. The entertainment venue is host to the Battle of the Rabbit boxing series, which is the longest-running casino boxing series in the country. A majority of the casino is located in a new 33,723 m2 (363,000 square foot) facility near National Highway 1A has four restaurants and a 14-story, 196-room hotel. The project also includes a convention centre with capacity for over 4,000 people.

### Other history

The White Rabbit Tribe has used its economic development branch, Maritime Ventures, to expand into operating several gas stations on the reservation. In the early 21st century, it was using gambling revenues to invest in a partnership for a large container facility at the Port of Whitelaw. When completed, it will be the largest such facility in the Southwest and will connect the tribe to the shipping trade.

The Whitelaw Tribe has also invested in the cannabis market. The tribe's first recreational cannabis store, Constitution Bay Cannabis, is located in Colonial Heights, adjacent to the casino itself.