Standing Bear

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Standing Bear
Standing Bear

Standing Bear (1834(?) - 1908) was a Ponca Native American chief who successfully argued in U.S. District Court in 1879 that Native Americans are "persons within the meaning of the law" and have the rights of citizenship.

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[edit] Early life

Standing Bear was born on land that later became the Ponca reservation in what is now Nebraska, in around 1834, although some sources say he was born in 1829. "Standing Bear" translates from the Ponca (PaNka) "MaNchu NaNzhiN." A more literal translation would be "Standing Grizzly Bear."

  • Note - The Ponca, through their processes of language revitalization, have altered some spellings. MaNchu NaNzhiN used to read as MoNchu NoNzhiN.

[edit] Conflict with the Sioux

In early times the Ponca were driven southward by the Sioux. The tribe then suffered decimation by smallpox. (Lewis and Clark numbered them at only 200.) At the time Standing Bear was born, the Ponca people had settled in an area around the mouth of the Niobrara River. By 1858, the Ponca relinquished all land they had claimed except for a small reserve along the Niobrara. They tried to change from nomadic buffalo hunters to farmers. In the Treaty of Fort Laramie (1868), the government mistakenly included the Ponca's land in the territory assigned to the Sioux. Following this the Sioux raided the area claimed by the Ponca and many lives were lost. The government's proposal to end the raids was to move the Ponca to Indian Territory (present day Oklahoma).

[edit] Forced Migration

In 1876 when the Ponca were told they were to be moved to Indian Territory, they sent ten chiefs with a United States agent to look over the land and its prospects. They were to make a decision for the Ponca tribe; however, based on what they learned, the chiefs could not make a favorable report. The tribe voted not to go to Indian Territory. The government then decided to send the Ponca to Indian Territory with or without their consent. So the Ponca left on foot for Indian territory, escorted by the U.S. Army.

After arriving in Oklahoma territory, the Ponca had no time to plant a crop on their new land and were not prepared for the winter there, causing many deaths including Standing Bear's son. Standing Bear wanted to bury his son on Ponca soil and with thirty others traveled back towards their home on the Niobrara. They reached the Omaha Reservation were they were welcomed as relatives, but word of the arrival back in Nebraska soon reached the government. They were arrested on orders from the Secretary of Interior by General George Crook. Standing Bear and the others were taken to Fort Omaha and detained. Although they were ordered back to Indian Territory at once, a delay was obtained so they could rest and regain their health. During this time their story was told to the public by Thomas Tibbles of the Omaha Daily Herald. In 1879, Standing Bear argued his case against General Crook and The United States Government in U.S. District Court in Lincoln, Nebraska; from this landmark civil rights case comes the petition's oft-quoted "an Indian is a person" statement. The judge ultimately found in favor of Standing Bear and the Ponca people. This case received the attention of the Hayes administration, and provisions were made for some of the tribe to return to the Niobrara valley.

[edit] Later years

Between October 1879 and 1883, Standing Bear traveled in the eastern United States and spoke about Indian rights in forums sponsored by an Indian advocate, Wendell Phillips. Standing Bear did not speak any English, so his tale was translated by two Omahas. He was accompanied by Tibbles, Susette (Bright Eyes) LaFlesche, and her brother Francis LaFlesche. Standing Bear won the support of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and other prominent people.

After he returned from the East, Standing Bear resided at his old home on the Niobrara with a hundred and seventy Ponca and farmed his land. He died in 1908 and is buried on a hill overlooking the site of his birth. Bear Shield was his eldest son.

Standing Bear is a member of the Nebraska Hall of Fame. Ponca State Park in northeastern Nebraska is named in honor of Standing Bear and his Ponca Tribe.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

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