Elder Interview-Ernest Ernie Stevens
Name/Title
Elder Interview-Ernest "Ernie" StevensEntry/Object ID
A.2008.001.448Tags
Needs Accession Sheet, Needs Location, Needs PhotoDescription
Stevens, Ernest "Ernie" Lloyd Sr. Born 02/17/1932 Parents: Antone Stevens & Maria Anastasia (Christjohn) Hinton Maternal Grandparents: Lucy Christjohn (Hill) and Paul Moes Christjohn His grandfather Moes and grandmother Lucy were in an arranged marriage. They raised the sacred tobacco years ago. There are a lot of Indian families living in Seymour that don’t know their native. His grandfather use to break horses when people needed their horse broken. Ernie went to a Lutheran School. He does pottery and when he was younger he made baskets. He graduated from school. He is very close to his grandmother. He use to speak in Oneida with his grandmother. He worked part-time in the mill in Tigerton. He worked during the summer time. He was in the marines. In 1950 he went to Paris Island. He was a guard there. After he finished boot camp he went to Korea. He was the youngest sergeant in the marines. He was 18 years old. When he came back from the war he worked nights at the mall in San Diego. He fixed sewing machines. He moved to Milwaukee Wisconsin. He use to be a drinker. He worked part-time in Los Angelis in an Indian Center. He ran an Indian Youth Newspaper in Los Angelis. He became a business commissioner in 1969. He worked with Bob Bennit for a little while. He came back to Oneida in 1977. He works for the Oneida Tribe now. His opinions and views on children being sent to boarding school are: Catholics have the best views and ways of teaching. They brought the Indian ways down by making them cut their hair and not speak their language. People sent their kids there because of teaching, clothing, and food. They felt their children would accomplish some goals and in a way they have but they also hurt the children and their beliefs.Recording Type
Audio/VisualCollection
Elder InterviewsCataloged By
Gerzetich, Courtney (Cottrell)Category
Digital Media, Military