United States Capitol (Photo credit: Jack's LOST FILM)
I had occasion recently to find myself on the tip of the USA, called Long Island, on the Atlantic Coast.
We had gone there to what is called the Indian reservation....... and somehow I had expected to see red Indians, even if they didn’t have feathers in their hair, or totem poles and all the rest!
What I actually found (and to be truthful what I had gone for) was this - cheap cigarettes!
What I hadn’t expected was that not one Red Indian was to be seen, only Blacks!
I had been warned not to take any photos, not because the people were shy or timid, quite the reverse in fact, but because they were probably “wanted” in at least 3 states...........!
When I saw these people, the last thing I wanted to do was take any photos!
It is a whole chapter of American History - instead of paying State and Governmental money which was spent simply on alcohols (I guess ‘firewater’), so - a concession or something similar was arranged whereby cigarettes could be produced and sold, giving employment and income.
These cigarettes have strange names like ‘signal’ or ‘sheriff’, but look all the world like camel or marlborough.
Of course if you live so close, then the last time you bought normal priced cigarettes is a long time ago!
These things taste exactly like their costlier brothers/sisters, but only cost a fraction.
Basically, this (there are others in the USA) reservation is not a part of the USA, but no controls are made.
Of course, you take the chance of controls when you come back onto Federal USA soil, but 2 cartons are always accepted, per person.
When you enter, through the grilled security fence, you are bombarded by people with leaflets with special offers.
You don’t stop - too dangerous, you just go to the first of maybe 50-60 shops, do your business and get out!
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Suffice to say - I got the product I wanted, saw a little bit of American History and the Atlantic Ocean......! On one occasion, we drove through the reservation, and it had everything - totem pole/counselling ground, cemetery (strangely all with Christian crosses to mark the graves) some magnificent villas (the tobacco bosses....?) and a lot of wooden shacks/shanty town. They also sell perfumes, but where they come from....? Alcohols I didn’t see, maybe because of their history.
Here they are back in the 1800’s.....
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