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Sun April 30, 2006

Centennial countdown: Standing Bear

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A Century in the Making
See NewsOK's special Web site dedicated to Oklahoma's Centennial.

Editor's note: Leading up to Oklahoma's Centennial, The Oklahoman will profile Oklahomans who have made a significant contribution to the success of our state.

The Oklahoma Heritage Association tells Oklahoma's story through its people. To learn more about the association, go online to www.oklahomaheritage.com.

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Ponca chief's trial defined Indians' rights

Ponca Chief Standing Bear was simply trying to fulfill a promise to his dying son.

In the process, he became the first American Indian civil-rights leader.


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"His courtroom trial that happened in ... 1879 was a landmark case, and it is still used in tribal law today. It changed the way forever that the United States government was going to deal with sovereignty issues with Native Americans," said T.L. Walker, executive director of the Standing Bear Foundation in Ponca City.

Standing Bear was born on the Ponca tribe's land in what is now Nebraska around the early 1830s. He showed exceptional abilities and became a chief at an early age, according to the Nebraska State Historical Society.

By the time Standing Bear was born, Ponca tribal members had been driven southward by the Sioux and settled in an area near the