TWIN ARROWS, Ariz. – New sets of twin arrows are beckoning travelers on Interstate 40 in northern Arizona.
The Navajo Nation has opened its first casino in the state, the Twin Arrows Navajo Casino Resort, named after an old trading post, diner and gas station where red and gold twin arrows aimed at the ground remind motorists of what once was the “best little” stop on the interstate.
The tribe is looking to the casino to boost its economy and spur development in the area, and has infused the new business with bits of Navajo culture and tradition. Turquoise twin arrows in the logo, for instance, symbolize initiative and the journey of the Navajos through time.
“It brings jobs that we don’t have in the past, it brings revenue, it brings recognition to the Navajo Nation and Navajo people,” tribal President Ben Shelly said Monday.
A glittering chandelier greets visitors in the casino’s entryway, a depiction of the Navajos’ rise into the fourth world where humans came into existence. Stone walls and birch branches in the steakhouse represent the nesting sites of eagles – among the most revered birds of American Indian tribes, while the design on the hotel’s exterior hints at a culture of weaving.
The main entrance faces east in the same way as traditional homes on the reservation, to capture the rising sun. Navajo artists were commissioned to create artwork that hangs throughout the casino, and some of the rooms have views of the San Francisco Peaks, one of four mountains held sacred by Navajos.
The Navajo Nation signed gaming compacts with Arizona and New Mexico a decade ago, clearing the way for the gaming industry on the nation’s largest American Indian reservation. Tribal members later approved gaming in a referendum vote after twice rejecting it. The tribe’s first casino opened east of Gallup, N.M., in 2008 and two others followed in New Mexico.
Twin Arrows employs about 500 people right now, the majority of whom are Navajo, but the workforce will grow to 800, Watchman said. Each of the tribal casinos follows Navajo law in that they give preference to Navajos in employment and are expected to become one of the largest employers of tribal members.
Twin Arrows, about 20 miles east of Flagstaff, is one of nearly two dozen tribal casinos across the state. Tribes that don’t operate casinos or haven’t reached limits on the number of slot machines they’re allowed under gaming compacts can lease those rights to other tribes.
The Navajo casinos are expected to generate tens of millions of dollars for the tribe that relies heavily on natural resources for revenue. Last year, the Navajo Nation Gaming Enterprise made its first distribution of revenue to the tribe at $5 million. That number is expected to increase to $30 million annually, Watchman said.
