MAY 2015 • NEBRASKAland 17
Chief Standing Bear and
the Trail Ahead
By Amy Kucera
First documented by Lewis and Clark in 1804 near the
present-day town of Ponca, the Ponca Tribe had villages
along the Niobrara River in northeastern Nebraska since their
migration from the Ohio River valley in the 1700s.
After a series of treaties, the U.S. government illegally
gave Ponca lands to the Santee (Dakota) Sioux Tribe as
part of 1868 Treaty of Fort Laramie negotiations. The U.S.
goverment then forced the Ponca to relocate to modern-day
Oklahoma, a route now known as the Ponca Trail of Tears.
Chief Standing Bear made history after he was arrested
while returning to his homelands to bury his son. The results
of his 1879 trail, Standing Bear vs. Crook, established that he
was legally recognized as a person by right of law.
The Chief Standing Bear Symposium, an extension of the
annual Breakfast Commemoration, is a celebration of his
legacy, as hosted by the Nebraska Commission of Indian
Affairs and University of Nebraska. The May 14-15 event in
Lincoln features a variety of presenters including television
coorespondent Hattie Kaufman, author Sherman Alexie,
activist Winona LaDuke and a concert by Buffy St. Marie.
For more information, visit Unl.edu/plains/2015-
symposium. ■
Travel with Peru State State College students as they tour
the Chief Standing Bear Trail.
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