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. Image File history File links Standingbear2. ... 1834 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... 1908 (MCMVIII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Ponca are a Native American tribe originally living around the mouth of the [[Niobrara River],] Nebraska, but was later removed to the Indian Territory. ... Native Americans are the indigenous peoples from the regions of North America now encompassed by the continental United States, including parts of Alaska. ... The United States district courts are the general trial courts of the United States federal court system. ... 1879 (MDCCCLXXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ...

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." The Ponca are a Native American tribe originally living around the mouth of the [[Niobrara River],] Nebraska, but was later removed to the Indian Territory. ... Official language(s) English Capital Lincoln Largest city Omaha Largest metro area Omaha Area  Ranked 16th  - Total 77,421 sq mi (200,520 km²)  - Width 210 miles (340 km)  - Length 430 miles (690 km)  - % water 0. ... Trinomial name Ursus arctos horribilis (Ord, 1815) Image:Grizzly map. ...

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

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). The Ponca are a Native American tribe originally living around the mouth of the [[Niobrara River],] Nebraska, but was later removed to the Indian Territory. ... Wahktageli (Gallant Warrior), a Yankton Sioux chief (Karl Bodmer) Funeral scaffold of a Sioux chief (Karl Bodmer) Horse racing of the Sioux Indians (Karl Bodmer) The Sioux (IPA ) are a Native American people. ... Smallpox (also known by the Latin names Variola or Variola vera) is a highly contagious disease unique to humans. ... The Lewis and Clark expedition (1804-1806) was the first American overland expedition to the Pacific coast and back. ... The Niobrara River The Niobrara River is a tributary of the Missouri River, approximately 430 mi (692 km) long, the U.S. states of Wyoming and Nebraska. ... 1858 (MDCCCLVIII) is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Sunday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Treaty signing by William T. Sherman and the Sioux at Fort Laramie, Wyoming. ... Indian Territory in 1836 Indian Country redirects here. ... Official language(s) None Capital Oklahoma City Largest city Oklahoma City Area  Ranked 20th  - Total 69,960 sq mi (181,196 km²)  - Width 230 miles (370 km)  - Length 298 miles (480 km)  - % water 1. ...

Standing Bear v. Crook

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. Indian Territory in 1836 Indian Country redirects here. ...

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, Crook, appalled by the conditions under which the Poncas were held, delayed their return so they could rest, regain their health and seek legal redress.^[1] The Omaha tribe began as a larger woodland tribe comprised of both the Omaha and Quapaw tribes. ... BIA map of reservations in the United States Tribal sovereignty: Map of the United States, with non-reservation land highlighted. ... Portrait of George Crook George Crook (September 8, 1828 – March 21, 1890) was a career U.S. Army officer, most noted for his distinguished service during the American Civil War and the Indian Wars. ... Fort Omaha was a United States Army installation built in the vicinity of modern-day North Omaha, Nebraska. ...

Crook told their story to Thomas Tibbles of the Omaha Daily Herald, who publicized it widely. Attorney John L. Webster offered his services pro bono, and he was joined by Andrew J. Poppleton, chief attorney of the Union Pacific Railroad. In April 1879, Standing Bear sued for a writ of habeas corpus in U.S. District Court in Omaha, Nebraska. The case is called United States ex rel. Standing Bear v. Crook, General Crook being the formal defendant because he was holding the Poncas under color of law. Thomas Henry Tibbles (1838-1928) was a journalist and activist for Native American causes in the United States during the late nineteenth century. ... The Omaha World-Herald, founded in 1885 by Gilbert M. Hitchcock, is Omahas primary local newspaper, with circulation throughout Nebraska and south-west Iowa. ... Pro bono is a phrase derived from Latin meaning for the good. The complete phrase is pro bono publico, for the public good. It is used to designate legal or other professional work undertaken voluntarily and without payment, as a public service. ... The Union Pacific Railroad (AAR reporting marks UP) (NYSE: UNP) is the largest railroad network in the United States. ... In common law countries, habeas corpus (/heɪbiÉ™s kɔɹpÉ™s/), Latin for you [should] have the body, is the name of a legal action or writ by means of which detainees can seek relief from unlawful imprisonment. ... The United States district courts are the general trial courts of the United States federal court system. ... Nickname: Gateway to the West Location in Nebraska Coordinates: Country United States State Nebraska County Douglas Founded 1854 Incorporated 1857 Government  - Mayor Michael Fahey (D) Area    - City  118. ...

On May 12, 1879 Judge Elmer S. Dundy ruled that "an Indian is a person" within the meaning of the habeas corpus act, and that the government had failed to show a basis under law for the Poncas' captivity.^[2] They were therefore freed immediately.

This case received the attention of the Hayes administration, and provisions were made for some of the tribe to return to the Niobrara valley. Rutherford Birchard Hayes (October 4, 1822 – January 17, 1893) was an American politician, lawyer, military leader and the 19th President of the United States (1877-1881). ... The Niobrara River The Niobrara River is a tributary of the Missouri River, approximately 430 mi (692 km) long, the U.S. states of Wyoming and Nebraska. ...

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 Thomas Tibbles, then married to Susette (Bright Eyes) LaFlesche, and her brother Francis LaFlesche. Standing Bear won the support of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and other prominent people. 1879 (MDCCCLXXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... 1883 (MDCCCLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Wendell Phillips Wendell Phillips (29 November 1811 – 2 February 1884) was an American abolitionist, advocate for Native Americans, and orator. ... Susette LaFlesche Tibbles (1854-1903) was a well-known Native American lecturer, writer, and artist from the Omaha tribe in Nebraska. ... Francis Laflesche Francis La Flesche (1857-1932) was the student and adopted son of anthropologist Alice Fletcher. ... Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (February 27, 1807 – March 24, 1882) was an American poet among whose works were Paul Reveres Ride, A Psalm of Life, The Song of Hiawatha and Evangeline. ...

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. 1908 (MCMVIII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ...

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. Nebraska Hall of Fame is an official list of prominent Nebraskans compiled in accordance to state law. ... Ponca State Park, located two miles north of Ponca in northeastern Nebraska, is situated on 892 acres among the high bluffs and forested steep hills along the banks of the Missouri River. ... The Ponca are a Native American tribe originally living around the mouth of the [[Niobrara River],] Nebraska, but was later removed to the Indian Territory. ...

References

• Nebraska State Historical Society: "Standing Bear"
• Nebraska Studies: "The Trial of Standing Bear"

Dee Brown (February 29, 1908---December 12, 2002) was an American novelist and historian. ... 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday. ... Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee (1970). ... 1879 (MDCCCLXXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... The Sterling Law Building Sculptural ornamentation on the Sterling Law Building Yale Law School, or YLS, is the law school of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. ... March 13 is the 72nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (73rd in leap years). ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini (common) era. ...

External links

• Nebraska’s Award-Winning News Journal: "Standing Bear"
• Nebraska studies: Trial of Standing Bear
• Standing Bear Biography
• The Story of a Ponca Chief
• from Notable Nebraskans, with photo
• Nebraska State Quarter Finalist
• "An Indian is a person": U.S. District Court Case of Standing Bear vs. George Crook, 1879
• Standing Bear Coloring Page