Ernie Stevens, Jr., Oneida Tribal Leader That Rose to National Prominence Passes Away
Ernie Stevens, Jr., introduced Chief Arvol Lookinghorse at a reception at the Indian Gaming Association’s Mid-Year Conference in Shakopee, Minn. on Sept. 8, 2025. Photo by Darren Thompson.
By Darren Thompson
Oneida Nation, Wisconsin—Ernie Stevens, Jr., a tribal leader from the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin passed away suddenly on Friday. He rose to national prominence as an advocate for tribal sovereignty and served Indian Country as the Chairman of the Indian Gaming Association (IGA) since 2000 until his passing on September 26, 2025.
Stevens, Jr., was a friend and ally to many organizations, leaders, movements, causes, and youth. Many organizations have issued statements, sharing their condolences and thanking Stevens for his decades of service to Indian Country. While IGA’s Chair, total tribal gaming revenue grew from $11 billion in 2000 to more than $49 billion in 2024.
“Chairman Stevens dedicated his life to Indian Country,” the Indian Gaming Association (IGA) said in a statement on Sept. 26. “For more than two decades, as Chairman of IGA, he never wavered from the mission of advancing tribal government gaming and strengthening tribal sovereignty. Under his leadership, IGA became one of the most powerful and respected voices in Washington, D.C., tirelessly championing the rights of tribal nations and protecting the integrity of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act.”
The Oneida Nation of Wisconsin, Shakopee Mdewakanton Dakota Sioux Community, the Ho-Chunk Nation of Wisconsin, Gila River Indian Community, Great Plains Tribal Chairman’s Association, National Congress of American Indians (NCAI), National Indian Education Association (NIEA), National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development, United National Inter Tribal Youth (UNITY), Native American Basketball Invitational (NABI), Great Lakes Indian Fish & Wildlife Commission (GLIFWC), and many other organizations have published their condolences to the family of Ernie Stevens, Jr.
Born in 1959, Stevens, Jr., spent much of his upbringing in East Los Angeles, during the Relocation Era, when the Bureau of Indian Affairs created a program aimed at relocating families from Indian Reservations throughout the country to find employment in urban cities. His father, Ernie Stevens, Sr., was a well known leader and combat veteran from the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin who advocated for treaty rights for urban American Indian people and within the Bureau of Indian Affairs dating back to the late 1960s. Stevens Sr. passed away last June and was 92 years old. Stevens Jr.’s mother, Patricia, passed away in 2023 and was Oglala Lakota from the Pine Ridge Reservation.
“Ernie Stevens, Jr. is a true champion; an icon for Native people,” said LRI Native News Publisher Chase Iron Eyes. “He became one of the Giants upon whose shoulders we stand; he was connected to prior generations of tribal sovereign pillars and walked Indian country into a path of strength. Ernie’s life work is responsible for asserting and defending our sovereign, political and economic impacts.”
When Stevens wasn’t in council with other leaders, whether that be in Washington or at home in Oneida, he was often on the sidelines applauding and smiling in support of youth. As a former youth athlete, he spoke at many sporting events, either as a guest or the announcer of a game. He was inducted into the National Indian Athletic Association Hall of Fame in 2008 and into the North American Indigenous Athletics Hall of Fame in 2022.
“It was with great sadness and unbelievability I received the news in the early afternoon of Ernie L. Steven's Jr.'s passing,” said Jhane Myers to LRI Native News of Ernie Stevens’ passing. “It was only recently he welcomed our guests to the 7th film team's reception at the IGA Mid-year conference with enthusiasm and personal candor.”
On September 8, Stevens introduced Chief Arvol Lookinghorse at a reception hosted by “The 7th” at IGA’s Mid-Year Conference at the Mystic Lake Casino in Shakopee, Minnesota. Myers is one of the the film’s producers, and extended an invitation to Stevens to speak at the event, where he spoke of the importance of Native representation in film and media. He also voiced that he would love a small acting role in upcoming film, which is in pre-production. After Lookinghorse provided words to the production team of The 7th, Stevens gave him a beaded medallion.
Stevens (left) gifted Chief Arvol Lookinghorse (right) a beaded medallion at Mystic Lake Casino on Sept. 8, 2025. Photo by Darren Thompson.
“Chairman Stevens was a longtime friend and visionary to Indian Country," Myers said. “He stood tall in his lifetime of leadership, advocacy and support of not only Indian gaming, tribes, government, and projects that uplifted the positive for Native people. As an established leader, he will be missed by so many that his legacy impacted.”
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Darren Thompson is the Managing Editor of Last Real Indians Native News Desk and the Director of Media Relations for the Sacred Defense Fund, an Indigenous-led nonprofit organization based in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He’s an award winning multimedia journalist enrolled at Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, where he grew up. He can be reached at darren@sacreddefense.org.