Matthew Dye, Snow College
Humanities
Many Native American reservations in the United States are increasingly relying on casinos and other forms of gambling to bolster local economies. However, since the state of Utah does not allow gambling on tribal lands, Native Americans in Utah must rely on other activities to bring tourism to their communities. Many resources that are available to tribes across Utah, including pow wows and other cultural events, have become central economic activities and means for increasing tourism to tribal lands. These cultural events serve two purposes, as they serve as a means of cultural education to the larger public, in addition to providing a mechanism for increasing tourism. For this project, I will focus on how the different Native American tribes in Utah use their own unique cultures to attract tourism, and its accompanying economic benefits, to their communities.