January-February 2026 • Nebraskaland 47
Because a federal
court tried the
case, the trial was
held at the U.S.
Post Office and
Custom House
building. Built in
1870, it stood on
the southwestern
corner of 15th
and Dodge
streets in Omaha.
NSHS RG2341-PH0-247
Standing Bear and his friends went on a speaking tour
after the trial. His interpreter was Bright Eyes (aka Susette
La Flesche), a young woman of the Omaha tribe who
became a powerful speaker in her own right.
Bright Eyes had a knack for distilling in a few sentences
the essence of America's founding documents. One
of her main themes was that the central purpose of
constitutional government is its protection from arbitrary
power. In her introduction to a book about Standing Bear's
case, she said she wanted the American people to hear the
Poncas' story because, "The people are the power which
move the magistrates who administer the laws" — which
is about as succinct a definition of democracy as one
could ask for.
"It is a little thing," she continued, "a simple thing,
which my people ask of the nation whose watchword is
liberty; but it is endless in its consequences. They ask for
liberty, and law is liberty."
N
Inshata Theumba ("Bright Eyes"), also known as Susette La
Flesche Tibbles. NSHS RG2737-PH0-9
Visit the Nebraska State Historical Society's website at
history.nebraska.gov.
