A World of Change
by Matt Connor
April 2, 2009
NIGA Chairman Ernie Stevens stands outside the U.S. Capitol Building. During eight years at the helm of the National Indian Gaming Association, Stevens has championed sovereignty and economic development among other tribal causes.
Ernie Stevens has seen a lot during his eight years as chairman of the National Indian Gaming Association. What is he most proud of?
During his eight years as
chairman of the National Indian Gaming Association, Ernie Stevens Jr. has seen
Indian tribes battle potential amendments to the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act,
come to the aid of victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks and Hurricane Katrina,
watched as the U.S. economy climbed to new heights (and then capsize), sent his
five children to college and agonized as his waistline expanded a bit.
But
he’s most proud of the great strides tribes have made in the development of
their economies and the services they’ve been able to provide to their
people.
“We’ve
seen change in our communities,” he said. “We’ve seen our tribes bring vital
services to our people, like police, hospitals, housing and elderly care. All
of these things I’ve seen, I’ve observed, I’ve been a part of, I’ve benefitted
from. These services continue to get better in our
communities.
“We’ve
seen advances. We’ve seen good things happen. But at the same time, I think we
continue to see challenges that remain the same over the years. I continue to
operate at the direction of the tribal leaders and carry out the hard work of
protecting sovereignty.”
Stevens
was elected chairman of NIGA in 2001 after having served six years as an
officer of the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI), and during a
recent one-hour telephone interview from his hotel in Washington, D.C., where
he was addressing the NCAI Executive Council Winter Session, he examined his
long career as a national leader in American Indian
affairs.
“I told
a little story to the tribal leaders at the NCAI general assembly today,” he
said, “and what I told them was that when my father came to help me start my
career in national politics, he made me promise that I would listen to the
voice of the leadership, that I would look to a consortium of the leadership
for opinions and encouragement.
“He
made me promise that I would work hard day and night and not take for granted
my responsibility, that when it was time to work, it was time to work,” he
continued. “There would be other times for enjoyment and socializing, but when
you’re traveling and working for the tribes and on the tribes’ budgets, as an
elected officer, you have to work hard and take it seriously and help every
person you possibly can.
“I think that’s the energy
that helps me to work continuously and hard to support the tribes.”
Economic strides
Looking
back, Stevens said he takes great pride in the remarkable economic strides
tribes have made, thanks to the development of gaming operations on ancestral
lands.
“In my
eight years of working at NIGA, I’m most proud of the economic growth of our
tribal operations and the fact that we’ve grown in a responsible manner and
that our regulatory systems are some of the most comprehensive and effective,”
he said. “We’ve promoted that through our work. The tribes’ advancement in
providing the essential government services to their communities is something
that I am very proud of.”
More
importantly even than that, however, is how gaming revenues “have helped our
young people in our tribes through community centers and schools and jobs.
That’s really what gaming is about: governmental support so we can provide some
of these necessities to our communities. To be a part of that and standing
strong really makes me proud.”
In his
own life, as a member of the Oneida Tribe of Wisconsin, owner-operators of the
highly successful Oneida Casino outside Green
Bay, Stevens said his own family has been a
beneficiary of the economic boom generated by gaming
dollars.
“I just
moved my 98-year-old grandmother into an apartment facility that may not even
be there if it wasn’t for gaming,” Stevens said. “Those are the real, true
benefits of tribal gaming, and what they do for a community makes me very
proud. My brand new granddaughter, born on Christmas day, and my grandmother,
who will turn 99 in June, are all beneficiaries of gaming.”
But the
journey from destitution to prosperity has not always been an easy one for the Oneida, nor has it been
for most gaming tribes. Indeed, most Indian peoples still live in abject
poverty, despite the 20-year boom in reservation casinos and bingo
halls.
“There
are a lot of challenges out there,” he said. “The biggest challenge that we
have is staying patient and dedicated and at the same time being determined to
do everything we possibly can to defend our rights as tribal governments.
“It’s
tough,” he added, “when we know what we’re doing and we know our rights have
existed long before there was even a United States Constitution. There were
Indian people – tribal governments – engaging in economic development since long
before there was a United States Constitution.
“We know that, and we know
our rights and how important it is to defend those rights. At the same time
it’s a challenge to be patient when you know what you’re doing is appropriate
and you know what you’re doing is good for your
communities.”
As NIGA
chairman, he would
like to see more successful gaming tribes expand their own economic bases and
assist those who may be located in geographic areas that are less conducive to
casino or bingo development.
“The
challenge that I have, and continue to be frustrated with, is an inability to
get our tribes involved in economic development beyond gaming,” he said. “That
and tribes working with tribes who have a lesser market or less possibility for
economic development through gaming.
“That’s why we put together
the American Indian Business Network, to try to get folks to work together to
help one another,” he added. “One good example in the works right now we’ve
seen is the Apache in Arizona helping several tribes attain financing to either
start a casino or expand their operations. So there are some out there that are
helping, but nowhere to the extent to what we want and
need.
“As
long as I’m walking this earth, I’m going to continue to push for these kinds
of economic opportunities.”
The
current economic downturn has clearly had an impact on tribal casinos, many of
which have posted year-over-year declines in revenues, but more urgent to
Stevens is the fact that so many tribal peoples are still living below the
poverty line.
“The
thing that hasn’t changed is that there are a lot of tribes who still don’t
have the basic economic support they need,” he said. “There are a lot of tribes
who, before the current economic challenges that face this country, didn’t have
anything. Those folks continue to be on the outside looking in, economically.”
Perhaps
ironically, the current economic crunch facing the wider U.S. population
is nothing new to tribal peoples, Stevens said: “Something I’ve been saying all
along is, when it comes to economic challenges, these are things that have been
part of Native American society forever.
“That’s not new to us. To
that extent I say to America,
‘Welcome to our world.’”
A new hope
But with a new
administration in Washington,
D.C., Stevens said there is a new
sense of hope among Native Americans, many of whom contributed generously to
the campaign of then-candidate Barack Obama.
“I’m
very excited about the Obama administration for a lot of reasons,” he said.
“They have brought a fresh energy to Washington.
They have pledged to work on a bipartisan basis, across the board, to help America out of
this economic challenge we have.
“Indian
Country has said to the president and our new government that we are prepared
to step up to the plate,” Stevens continued. “Indian Country is prepared to do
everything we can to help not just Indian Country out of this economic
challenge but to help all of America get on its feet. That’s something we’re
very excited to do.
“The
new president has come out to Indian Country, has visited us in Indian Country
and extended his hand in appreciation and understanding and is willing to work
with us and try to understand our challenges and appreciate where we come from
and what we’re all about. That itself is a great thing.”
He
cautioned tribal leaders, however, that improvements will not come to the lives
of the average Native American without hard work and cooperation among
tribes.
“I told
tribal leaders at this conference that just because there’s a fresh buzz and
energy, that doesn’t mean change is going to happen,” he said. “Change is only
going to happen if we work hard and do everything we can to make a difference.
“I
continue to put the responsibility to make change on the shoulders of Native
American people throughout this country. We can’t wait for change. We can use
the positive energy and strong commitment by this president and his
administration, but it’s us – Indian Country – that are going to have to do our
share to make a difference.”
To that
extent, he said, NIGA will advocate for cabinet-level meetings to establish
government-to-government relationships between the executive branch and tribal
entities.
“That
is a key component for us, a true government-to-government dialogue with the
tribes,” he said. “We’re hoping that the president will establish a new
executive order about the tribal consultation process.”
He’s
less pleased about a recent decision that came down from the
judiciary.
In an
8-to-1 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court in February found that the U.S.
Department of Interior cannot place land in trust for tribes not under federal
jurisdiction when Congress passed the Indian Reorganization Act in 1934. In the
decades since the establishment of that act, many tribes – including the
Narragansetts of Rhode Island, which brought the case before the court – gained
federal recognition and pursued gaming compacts with state
governments.
Those
tribes would not be eligible to take land into trust for the purpose of gaming
under the decision, a victory for state governments trying to block the
Narragansetts and other more recently recognized tribes from taking land into
trust and establishing casinos.
“There’s
a significant need for the tribes to go back to Congress to vigorously pursue a
congressional fix to this decision,” Stevens said. “We’re very disappointed and
obviously think this decision is unfortunate.”
But,
overall, Stevens is optimistic about the future, and about the positive changes
he’s seen occur in Indian Country.
“Today
I’m here in Washington,
and there are Indians all over the place,” he said. “It used to be we’d show
up, and we’d all be cramped up in one room. Today it’s just amazing, and
tremendous, that all these Indian folks are working hard to protect their
rights and find support for their communities.
“And one of the things that are special to me
is that the young people have emerged as a recognizable leadership energy in
Indian Country. That’s something I pushed for, I’ve strived for, I’ve hoped
for, and to see it is tremendous.”
Matt Connor
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