| 2008 Ponca Powwow |
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POWWOW 2008, August 15 - 17
AGENDA
Don't Miss It!
| Ponca Chiefs |
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The principle chiefs of the Ponca Tribe are White Eagle and Standing Bear.
- Big Snake – Brother to Standing Bear
- Black Crow
- Big Elk – Son of Lone Chief
- White Eagle – Son of Iron Whip – Grandson to Little Bear
- Standing Buffalo
- Hairy Bear
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White Swan – Frank LaFlesche – Brother to Joseph LaFlesche, Omaha Chief
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Chief
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Smoke Maker – Son of Two Bulls – Grandson of Little Bear
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Lone Chief – Antoine Primeaux
- Wash – Com-moni – Mitchell Cerre
- Standing Bear – Son of Drum
Submitted by Stanford Taylor
1877 photo features Big Elk, Standing Buffalo Bill, White Eagle, and Standing Bear. Standing are John Baptist LeClair and Charles LeClair.
CHIEF STANDING BEAR
While Standing Bear will always be remembered primarily for his trial in the Standing Bear vs. Crook case, he was basically a simple man whose only desire was to live and die as a free man in his beloved homeland much as his people had always done. He did not wish for fame or fortune and could not understand why the federal government deemed it necessary that his people be forcibly removed to Indian Territory in Oklahoma. They had done nothing to warrant their removable, and yet the federal government, in its infinite wisdom, did so anyway.
The removal would later be referred to as the Ponca Trail of Tears. Along the way to Indian Territory, many would die and upon arrival more would succumb to various diseases and illnesses. Almost one third of the small tribe that never numbered more that 800 or 900 would perish, including Standing Bear’s son and daughter.
To honor his son’s dying wish to be buried in his homeland, Standing Bear and the small band that accompanied him headed home with his son’s body, knowing that to leave the reservation for any reason, was considered unlawful. He and his band were soon arrested and held for trial at a fort near Omaha, NE. Standing Bear spoke both humbly and eloquently at his trial with his most notable quote being:
This hand is not the same color as yours but if I pierce it, I shall feel pain.
The blood that will flow from mine will be the same color as yours. I am
a man. The same God made us both.
The fact that Standing Bear won his case is truly amazing considering the horrendous treatment of the Indian at that time. How unbelievable is it that as a result of the trial, the simple ruling was that an Indian is a “person” in the eyes of the law. To realize that the Indian was thought of as “less than human” is mine boggling.
 
Both news reporter Thomas Tibbles (left) and his wife, Bright Eyes (right), went with Standing Bear on a speaking tour after the trial to tell their story to the people.
Between 1879 and 1883, Standing Bear would go on a speaking tour in the eastern section of the United States, bringing the plight of his tribe as well as that of all Native Americans to the attention of the public. Because he could not speak English, he was accompanied by two Omahas, Susette (Bright Eyes) LaFlesche, and her brother, Francis, who served as his interpreters. Also accompanying them was Thomas Tibbles, who as a writer for the Omaha Daily Herald, had been extremely instrumental in creating public awareness of Standing Bear’s plight at the time of the trial. Tibbles would later marry Bright Eyes. As he toured, Standing Bear won the support of many prominent people of the day, including the renowned poet, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. After the tour ended, Standing Bear returned to his home near the mouth of the Niobrara River where he farmed his land until his death in September of 1908.
Today, there are many honors and tribute to Standing Bear in recognition of his activism on behalf of Native American Rights. Some of these honors and tributes include the following:
- A 22-foot bronze statue and a 63-acre memorial park honoring him
(located in Ponca City, OK).
- Chief Standing Bear Day—recognized annually in Nebraska on May 12, the date in 1879 on which the case of Standing Bear vs. Crook ended, and Judge Elmer Dundee ruled that
1. Standing Bear was a free man
2. An Indian is a “person” in the eyes of the law
- Chief Standing Bear Scholarship and essay contest—offered through the Nebraska Commission on Indian Affairs (NCIA)
- Portrayal in movies and plays, most notably
- “The Trial of Standing Bear” (a made-for-television movie)
- “Footprints in Blood,” (a play
- “Wakonda's Dream,” (an opera)
- Subject of several books, including
- The Standing Bear Controversy
- Standing Bear is a Person: The True Story of a Native American’s Quest for Justice
- Standing Bear and the Ponca Chiefs;
- Referenced in several other books, such as
- Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee
- A Century of Dishonor
- In a Barren Land
- The Indian Reform Letters of Helen Hunt Jackson
- The Ponca Chiefs
- The Ponca Tribe
- School, subdivision, and lake named in his honor in Omaha, NE
- Finalist for the Nebraska state quarter (came in second to the one chosen)
While Standing Bear won for himself and all Native Americans a changed course in history, the fight for equality and justice continues today.Submitted by Pat Eichberger
| Culture Department |
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GOALS
Ponca Tribal members set the goals of the Culture Department. The most recent survey of members identified two areas of interest, the Ponca language and cultural awareness.
PONCA LANGUAGE
To help members learn the Ponca language, the Culture Department is working with the Oklahoma Ponca speakers to produce CDs that include written words and phrases. Please contact the Culture Department to receive a copy.
CULTURAL AWARENESS
The Culture Department is currently looking into three areas related to increasing awareness of the Ponca culture.
- The Tribe is completing the first phase of a Cemetery Grant in which we are looking for the location and identification of unmarked graves in order to map the Niobrara cemetery. The Ponca Cemetery is included on the National Register of Historic Places.
- We are also in the process of acquiring a grant to digitize any documents, artifacts, pictures, or other articles of historical importance that a member may possess but does not care to donate or loan to the museum. Our goal is to digitize these items for the Museum while allowing the member to retain the items.
- The Department is conducting a Museum Assessment to identify the future direction of the Tribal Museum and Library.
| Ponca Tribal Museum |
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Ponca Tribal Museum and Library
Open Monday-Friday, 8-4
Niobrara, Nebraska
The Ponca Museum and Library houses artifacts, historical archives, a Tribal library, and a community learning center. It serves as the offices for the Ponca Tribal Culture and Enrollment Departments.
ARTIFACTS
In 1999, the Ponca Tribe repatriated several items from the Smithsonian Museum in Washington DC. Now on display are two headdresses, tools, beadwork, jewelry, musical instruments, and various carvings.
The centerpiece of the collection is a Ponca wagon that was used for hauling supplies in the 1800s.
ARCHIVES
The Museum houses both contemporary and archival photographs. Tribal members and their families have donated numerous pictures.
TRIBAL LIBRARY
More than 200 titles are available for the community to checkout from the Tribal Library. The main topic is Native American Literature, but materials related to the Lewis and Clark Corps of Discovery, Nebraska Outdoors, Midwest religion, and other reference and study materials are also available. Some books and tapes are also for sale.
LEARNING CENTER
By appointment, community members can work with the staff on historical projects, homework, or contests. In 1998, two Lincoln students used the Center to win first place in the Nebraska History Days Contest.
| Contact Information |
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Ponca Tribe of Nebraska, Culture Department
Gary Robinette, Director of Cultural Affairs
garyr@poncatribe-ne.org
402.857.3519
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