Statue of Ponca chief may be headed to D.C.
Chief Standing Bear, one the most famous and legendary Native American leaders with ties to Oklahoma, may soon have a statue in the U.S. Capitol thanks to Nebraska.
Standing Bear was a clan chief of the Ponca, who tried dealing peacefully with the government in the 1850s but eventually won a court case that forever changed the legal status of Native Americans.
After removal to Oklahoma, he returned to Nebraska during a famed midwinter walk, fought a famous legal battle and eventually resettled on his ancestral lands.
As a result, there are two federally-recognized Ponca tribes — the Ponca Tribe of Oklahoma and the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska.
It is estimated there are about 7,000 Ponca tribal members, about half in Oklahoma.
The Nebraska Legislature has passed a bill to send the statues of Standing Bear and novelist Willa Cather to the National Statuary Hall Collection in the U.S. Capitol. They would replace two other Nebraskans, Williams Jennings Bryan and Sterling Morton.
“It is not only significant in Nebraska but also here in Oklahoma,” said Tulsa attorney Brett Chapman, the greatgreat-grandson of Ponca Chief White Eagle. “Chief Standing Bear was a part of the forced removal of the Poncas from Nebraska to Indian Territory, the Ponca Trail of Tears.
“But, he returned and won the most important legal battle in Native American history. He won the recognition of Natives as a person under the law.”
The decision was won in the landmark civil rights case of Standing Bear v. Crook in which Standing Bear became the first Native American legally recognized as a person under the law.
“What Chief Standing Bear did was significant for all people,” said Chapman, who grew up in Weatherford. “He stood up in a court and declared that ‘I am a man’.
“It was a significant moment in our country’s history because it recognized Natives as people. The educated people at the time understood that it was the right thing to do. It was a landmark legal decision. As an attorney, I think about that almost every time I walk into court to argue a case.”
A 10-foot bronze statue of Chief Standing Bear was unveiled near the University of NebraskaLincoln last fall. The statue was created by artist Benjamin Victor, who is the only living artist to have two works in the National Statuary Hall.
The Nebraska Commission on Indian Affairs has secured funding for a second sculpture for National Statuary Hall.
“I have no idea how long this will take but I know as a Ponca tribal member I would like to be there,” said Chapman.
Each state provides two statues of notable citizens for display in the United States Capitol National Statuary Hall Collection. Oklahoma is represented by humorist Will Rogers and Cherokee alphabet inventor Sequoyah.
Sequoyah was the first statue (in 2017) honoring a Native American to be chosen for the National Statuary Hall Collection.
Standing Bear tried to deal with the federal government as a clan chief of the Ponca. The Ponca signed a treaty in 1858 giving up all their land except for the land around the Niobrara River in Nebraska.
Just 10 years later, in the Fort Laramie Treaty, the government gave the Ponca’s land to the Sioux.
The Ponca were removed to Indian Territory in 1877 and Chief Standing Bear’s son died on the forced march there. Standing Bear wanted to return to Nebraska to bury his son.
Chief White Eagle was the hereditary chief of the Ponca. He chose to stay with the “hot country” Ponca who remained in Indian Territory.
A small statue of a white stone eagle is dedicated to the memory of Chief White Eagle stands on a hill 10 miles south of the old 101 Ranch near the small Noble County town of Marland.
While Chief White Eagle stayed in Oklahoma and forged a new life for his people, Standing Bear returned to Nebraska.
He undertook a walk in the middle of winter along with 66 other Ponca tribal members. They marched for two months before eventually camping near Omaha.
They took the Army to federal court for the right to return to their lands on the Niobrara River.
The court ruled “An Indian is a person within the meaning of the law, and there is no law giving the Army authority to forcibly remove Indians from their lands.”
Standing Bear returned to his old home on the Niobrara River and farmed with 170 other Ponca Indians who had been allowed to resettle in Nebraska. He died in 1908 and was buried on a hill overlooking the site of his birth.
“It is a remarkable story,” said Chapman. “This statue will help spread the story and better help all Americans to understand our story.”