Lee Hae-rin is a City Desk reporter at The Korea Times, covering social issues, tourism and taekwondo. She is passionate about speaking up for the rights of minorities, including women, LGBTQ+, people with disabilities and animals as well as discovering the latest makgeolli trend in town. Feel free to reach her at lhr@koreatimes.co.kr.
Mohegan: from tribal roots to overseas mega resort developer
An early undated photo of members of the Mohegan Tribe / Courtesy of Mohegan Tribe
By Lee Hae-rin
The Mohegan Tribe, based in the Thames River region in Uncasville, Connecticut, is a Native American tribe and a sovereign nation officially recognized by the United States Federal Government.
Before the arrival of the Europeans, Sachem Uncas (1598-1683), who was then head chief of the tribe, brought the Mohegan Tribe, or Wolf People, to a village at Shantok in the Connecticut region. Uncas believed that cooperation with the English would ensure his people’s survival and developed a historic interaction between his tribe and the settlers.
The English settlers formally recognized the sovereignty of the Mohegan Tribe with the Treaty of Hartford in 1638, two years after forming the Connecticut Colony.
The recognition has been maintained through to the present day and for over 350 years, and treaties and laws have highlighted the tribe’s independent status.
The U.S. Congress passed the Mohegan Nation Land Claims Settlement Act on March 7, 1994 and authorized the designation of the Mohegan Reservation area, where the tribe established a gaming business to generate revenue for tribal welfare and economic development. This day was a turning point for the Mohegan Tribe and continues to be celebrated annually by them.
Since opening the Mohegan Sun Casino near River Thames in October 1996, the group has evolved into a global integrated resort developer and operator that runs seven properties in North America, including Connecticut, New Jersey, Washington, Pennsylvania, Nevada U.S., Niagara Falls and Canada.
Mohegan Tribe's flagship property Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut / Courtesy of Mohegan Tribe
Mohegan Sun in Connecticut, the Mohegan Tribe's flagship resort, topped the Best Casino Hotel category among USA Today’s 10 Best Readers’ Choice Awards for four consecutive years and received various awards, including Fortune Magazine’s Top 10 Best Workplaces for Diversity.
In February 2016, the group expanded its footprint into the international gaming and tourism market by garnering a license to operate an integrated resort in Incheon, Korea. Mohegan Inspire Entertainment Resort in Yeongjong Island, which held a grand opening on Tuesday, is the group’s eighth property and first one outside the North American continent.