"I Am a Man": Chief Standing Bear's Journey for Justice

by Joe Starita

In 1877, Chief Standing Bear's Ponca Indian tribe was forcibly removed from their Nebraska homeland and marched to what was then known as Indian Territory (now Oklahoma), in what became the tribe's own Trail of Tears. "I Am a Man" chronicles what happened when Standing Bear set off on a six-hundred-mile walk to return the body of his only son to their traditional burial ground. Along the way, it examines the complex relationship between the United States government and the small, peaceful tribe and the legal consequences of land swaps and broken treaties, while never losing sight of the heartbreaking journey the Ponca endured. It is a story of survival---of a people left for dead who arose from the ashes of injustice, disease, neglect, starvation, humiliation, and termination. On another level, it is a story of life and death, despair and fortitude, freedom and patriotism. A story of Christian kindness and bureaucratic evil. And it is a story of hope---of a people still among us today, painstakingly preserving a cultural identity that had sustained them for centuries before their encounter with Lewis and Clark in the fall of 1804.

Before it ends, Standing Bear's long journey home also explores fundamental issues of citizenship, constitutional protection, cultural identity, and the nature of democracy---issues that continue to resonate loudly in twenty-first-century America. It is a story that questions whether native sovereignty, tribal-based societies, and cultural survival are compatible with American democracy. Standing Bear successfully used habeas corpus, the only liberty included in the original text of the Constitution, to gain access to a federal court and ultimately his freedom. This account aptly illuminates how the nation's delicate system of checks and balances worked almost exactly as the Founding Fathers envisioned, a system arguably out of whack and under siege today.

Joe Starita's well-researched and insightful account reads like historical fiction as his careful characterizations and vivid descriptions bring this piece of American history brilliantly to life.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Biography, Native American, Book Club, Audiobook, Historical

257 pages, Paperback

First published January 8, 2008

About the author

Joe Starita is a professor in the College of Journalism and Mass Communications. For the past 10 years, he has taught many of the college's depth reporting classes - classes designed to give students the skills to probe deeply into a focused topic while also providing some international reporting opportunities. To that end, he has taken groups of students to Cuba, France and Sri Lanka. Closer to home, he has co-taught a depth reporting class that exhaustively examined the pros and cons of corn-based ethanol and a legislative attempt to significantly strengthen state immigration laws. His classes also have produced two depth reports focused on Native American women.

Before joining the journalism faculty in 2000, Starita spent 13 years at the Miami Herald and served as the paper's New York bureau chief from 1983-1987. He also spent four years on the Herald's Investigations Team, where he specialized in stories exposing unethical doctors and lawyers. One of those stories, an article examining how impoverished and illiterate Haitians were being used to extort insurance companies into settling bogus auto claims, was a Pulitzer Prize finalist in local reporting.

Interested in American Indian history and culture since his youth, Starita returned to his native Nebraska in 1992 and began work on a three-year book project about five generations of an Indian family. "The Dull Knifes of Pine Ridge - A Lakota Odyssey" was published in 1995 by G.P. Putnam and Sons (New York), has been translated into six foreign languages and was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize.

In 2009, St. Martin's Press published Starita's "I Am a Man: Chief Standing Bear's Journey for Justice," a book on the life and death of Standing Bear, the Ponca chief who, in 1879, unwittingly ended up in the crosshairs of a landmark legal case. That book was the One Book-One Lincoln selection for 2011 and the One Book One Nebraska pick for 2012. In July 2011, Starita received the Leo Reano Award, a national civil rights award, from the National Education Association for his work with the Native American community.

Reviews

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is always difficult for me to read about how Native Americans were treated by the U.S. Government. I enjoy history and being a lifelong Nebraskan, I felt this was a must read for me.

[Charlotte · Rating 5 out of 5]

Joe Starita is a Nebraska author and I have had the privilege of hearing speak regarding his well researched documentary on the life of Chief Standing Bear and the Ponca tribe. The book chronicles the removal of the Ponca tribe from their homeland, and his 600 mile walk to return the body of his son to their sacred burial grounds. The book also chronicles his legal battle to be treated as a man, and to be granted the freedoms and rights of a citizen in this nation. While reading this book, I was struck deeply by how unfairly and disrespectfully the Native Americans were treated. And as I typed this, it struck me how ironic it is that we cal them Native Americans, but did not allow them to BE Americans in any sense of the term! In many ways, Chief Standing Bear is the Martin Luther King of the Indian nations.

[Aaron Nix · Rating 4 out of 5]

This quote sums it up nicely - "I know it's important that we have our stories of George Washington and the cherry tree and Honest Abe the rail-splitter. Those are all important stories," he likes to say. "But there are some other stories worth knowing, too. What's more American than loving your country, your homeland this much? What's more American than loving your son and the traditions of your people so much that you would risk everything to honor a promise? What's more American than preferring death in a freedom flight home to dying slowly as a prisoner in a place you hate, a place you have no connection to? I mean, this was a man who took on the U.S. government on a different kind of battlefield – and he won. When you think about it, it's one of the best American stories we have."

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one moved to the top of my to-read list after I read a very brief version of Standing Bear and the Ponca's story in Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee. It's a fascinating episode in the history of Native Americans and most of it takes place right here in Nebraska.

Now that I know the story, I wonder why so few Nebraskans do and how I'd never heard it before. It culminates with a trial in Standing Bear's habeas corpus suit against General George Crook, an old Indian fighter who had arrested the chief and his small ragtag band of Ponca when they escaped from the Indian Territory in Oklahoma, where they'd been forcefully relocated, and tried to return to their traditional lands in Northeastern Nebraska.

It would make a great courtroom drama. There are a lot of surprising twists to this story. One of the most interesting is where the lawyers who took up Standing Bear's cause got the idea to file suit against General Crook. (I won't reveal the answer in case you want to read it.)

[Lauren Higgins · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not in the habit of reviewing the books I finish. Generally, I'm too eager to get started on the next one. That being said...

I am from Nebraska. Lincoln, to be precise. I cannot say with certainty whether we were never once taught about Standing Bear in school, since my memory barely reaches back to last year. But after reading this brilliantly narrated account, even once wouldn't have been enough. Why, up until now, did I know more about Woodrow Wilson than about a leader who was born and eventually buried not 200 miles from my hometown? Why could I recite Patrick Henry's demand for liberty and not Standing Bear's plain yet powerful claim to a common humanity?

I believe schools do have a responsibility to teach Native history (especially of local tribes). But I am many years out of school, which makes it my responsibility. Personally, I can't wait to read more history like this. The story of Standing Bear and the trial that recognized Native Americans as legal persons is marred by heartbreaking losses and infuriating injustice. But there is also perseverance, resistance, interracial cooperation, and ultimately, triumph (though not over everything). The diverse cast of characters involved are all presented as no more or less than human beings, which is not to say that they are absolved of their actions. The author also details the progression of government policy towards Native Americans, from initial cooperation to the Indian Removal Act (which was carried out in defiance of a Supreme Court ruling) to the reservation system and eventual forced assimilation. This goes a long way in helping the reader understand how the "Indian question" was approached at the time, which is necessary context for some of the frankly baffling decisions made by government and military officials.

There is not much else I can say that this book won't say better, and I'm already off to read about other Native Americans. Four stars only because I have to give a star rating and I don't believe I've read a perfect book yet. Don't let that dissuade you. While this should be essential reading for Nebraskans in particular, anyone who is as human as Standing Bear was will be captivated by his story.

[Lisa Cook · Rating 5 out of 5]

Never forget…

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anyone with a passing knowledge of American history already knows about the shameful treatment of Native Americans by our government, but reading the horrific details always produces fresh revulsion. If you don't leave this book infuriated by what you've read, you're not doing humanity right.

"I Am A Man" is the story of Chief Standing Bear, a Ponca Indian whose people were forcibly removed from their land (as the result of a stupid bureaucratic mistake, no less), promised assistance in moving and rebuilding at the inferior location they were relocated to and then repeatedly denied it, and largely ignored in their efforts to seek redress for their grievances. Read the book (or use Google) for the details, as long as you're prepared to be disgusted.

There are, despite the horrors, some heroes in this book, including Standing Bear himself -- but also white Americans who saw wrong and tried to right it, saw Ponca suffering and tried to heal it, saw the undeclared yet transparent war on Native Americans and tried to stop it. As always throughout history, these progressives were a minority when they began their efforts, but became a majority -- or at least won the support of a critical mass -- through their tireless advocacy for liberty and justice for all.

The heroes include Thomas Tibbles, a muckraking journalist who brought the plight of the Poncas to a national audience. They include General George Crook, who was charged with the responsibility of imprisoning Standing Bear for his refusal to follow orders -- yet developed the legal theory that eventually lead to CSB's release and recognition as deserving of the protection of our Constitution. And the heroes include white settlers who provided food and shelter to Standing Bear and his people as they traveled 600 miles in the dead of winter to return to their homeland.

CSB said that not once was he refused when he asked for help from individual people ... despite the fact that the government of those helpers was enacting policies that would decimate the Ponca. It's an interesting lesson in the reality that distance from suffering allows (too many) people to tolerate it, when they never would if the suffering was happening right in front of them -- comparable to today's acceptance of the forced separation of migrant children from their parents by our government by many people who would (hopefully) recoil in horror if they saw a family torn apart in their presence.

Ultimately IAAM is about Chief Standing Bear's fight for legal standing and the protections of the U.S. Constitution, which until 1879 had never recognized Natives Americans as human beings. Standing Bear's case resulted in his recognition as a “person” under the law, entitled to the rights and protections of the Constitution. He and his people were, eventually, allowed to return to a (much smaller) piece of the land from which they had been forced. His was an important case, which resolved his particular complaint in his favor. It did not, unfortunately, do much to remedy the larger problem of the U.S. government's treatment of Native Americans throughout the generations, which has still not been remedied to this day.

[Brady Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent narrative (by my college reporting professor) that follows the life of Chief Standing Bear, the Ponca tribe, and Native Americas’ history with the growing United States. I learned a lot, including more history about my home state of Nebraska. Sometimes the transitions to vignettes of Ponca descendants seem a little random and kind of confusing in the narrative, but overall it’s a great portrait of an interesting historical figure that connects you with Standing Bear on a deeper, human level - even though it’s more than 100 years removed.

[Aaron · Rating 4 out of 5]

There’s always two ways to look at an impending crisis as a community that absolutely will be affected by it: do you fight back or do you give in? Which really would be the best option to ensure your children can live another day? For me at least, this is an interesting question with a challenge as last year I read Empire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches, the Most Powerful Indian Tribe in American History by S. C. Gwynne, a book where the community took the former option and now I am back with "I Am a Man": Chief Standing Bear's Journey for Justicethat focuses on a community that did the latter. Both paid the price, both saw bloodshed, both saw their numbers dwindle, both received much ire, both leaders, however, at the very end of days thanks to using the US legal system to their benefit may have gotten some amount of payback.

While Empire of the Summer Moon only really moved to that ‘final act’—the courtroom and the whole downward swing of the Comanches later on, in I Am a Man, the meat and potatoes seems to focus on it and what came after. Being a fan of courtroom dramas (OK, not really, but legal talk can at times be invigorating) and stories with real redemption as their selling points, this book had me sold from almost the first page. Thus, the legal focus, the reversal or roles from scourge of settlers Comanches to “meek natives” Poncas (but obviously not really), we’ve a case of almost total role reversals in books I think would serve as great companion pieces for each other (hence frequently referencing both). Is one better than the other? The burning question I had on my mind when diving in.

From drama on the plains to drama in the courtroom to an unlikely yet surprisingly popular speaking tour including stops such as Times Square, Standing Bear went from a “who?” to a somebody of renown and the Poncas as well saw their name rise to equal more well-known tribes. A poignant part of just how far things progressed took place in a house of worship:

“And he (Standing Bear) sat transfixed watching emancipated slaves singing African gospels in a Christian church for the benefit of the Ponca.” (my transcription from the audiobook)

America, land of the free, yes, but also a land where being the ‘other’ has its drawbacks. ‘Freedom for everyone, conditions apply’ is more of an apt motto as the book itself in so many words makes note of that: Native Americans we can consider to be ‘people’ so long as they drop tribal affiliations and assimilate into our ‘free’ society. Did the Poncas and Standing Bear make the correct choice? With options such as literally dying out in an inhospitable climate, herded like the dwindling buffalo being the ‘other’ option, one can say “perhaps”.

So...is one better than the other? Both books have their heroes, but to the credit of I Am a Man, I felt the “villain” was a bit less clear-cut, thus a story that felt all the more (not that I’d consider Summer Moon fanciful!). The courts sided with Standing Bear. President Hayes knew of their plight and did his best to resolve it amicably before his term ended. The Poncas accepted (sadly) that their past way of life may not work and gave in early on. The books are different, tell a different tale in overlapping time periods. People who may at a glance seem similar, experience the end of their respective eras, but handle it differently. Thus, neither book is “better”; rather, both are excellent looks at the final days of real Native American freedom and how they had to adapt to a new reality.

[Amy H. Sturgis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would give "I Am a Man" 3.5 stars if I could.

This is the story of Chief Standing Bear, the Ponca leader who in 1879 won his case (Standing Bear v. Crook) in U.S. District Court, which determined that Native Americans are "persons within the meaning of the law" and have the right of habeas corpus. Author Joe Starita does a compelling job of setting up the context of Standing Bear's -- and the Ponca people's -- character and resilience in the face of terrible experiences with the U.S. government. The book left me wanting more, however, relating to the aftermath of the decision, such as Standing Bear's travels and public appearances and the impact of the Dawes Act. That said, I highly recommend this to anyone interested in human rights and/or U.S. and Native American history.

A word of warning: the professional audiobook version of this work is a great disappointment. The narrator, Armando Duran, runs roughshod over the proper names of both Native peoples -- peoples who survive and have representation today, whose heritage centers could easily have been contacted in order to verify the pronunciation of their nations' names -- and also-easily-verifiable geographic locations. One mistake is an accident; half a dozen is unprofessionalism. If a press is going to publish works of Native history, that press should also invest in narrators who treat the subject with dignity and due diligence.

[Courtney B · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is rare I assign a book to my students that I would also recommend to a lay person.
It actually held me in real suspense while beautifully relating the story of Standing Bear and the Ponca removal. It gives fantastic context to why some who pursued the Dawes Act considered themselves humanitarians. It takes complex legal arguments and makes them understandable. Starita describes concepts like Jeffersonian agrarianism with more clarity and tact than any professional historian. That said, there are some elements that make a professional historian cringe. The lack of footnotes, speculating on the thoughts and feelings of people in the past and presenting those assumptions as facts, and lack of historiography make the story more readable but less verifiable. While a beautiful accounting of this period, I can’t recommend it as an example of responsible historical writing, per se. Nevertheless, it will be on the top of my list when a random inquirer asks “oh you are a historian? What should I read?”

[Crystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

I admit that I don't know much about Native American history, so this book was all new material for me. The primary thought that went through my mind over and over while reading this book was "gaslighting!" It is appalling and disgusting how the American government treated the Native Americans, and in particular, the tribe that was the focus of this book. Standing Bear and the Ponca Tribe did everything they could to stick to the treaties they agreed to with the US government, but time and time again the government screwed them over. It was hard to read and not a part of this country's legacy to be proud of.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This exhaustively researched book reminds us of an important piece of history, the story of Chief Standing Bear and his efforts to get any kind of a fair shake from the U.S. government. It's a sad story. I found the book to be somewhat dry, with its "just the facts" style. (A PBS documentary would have been an equally appropriate and perhaps more engaging medium for the story.) Standing Bear's story is important in legal history, but I would have been more interested in a richer exploration of the intersection between cultures.

[Meredith Gardner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Author Joe Starita was one of my professors in college and I could clearly hear his voice in this book. The story of Standing Bear and the Ponca tribe is gut-wrenching, and for the most part Joe tells it well. I do not know much about Native American history, and this book was truly eye-opening to me. In some parts of the book Joe spends an inordinate amount of time summarizing and trying to provide a broader perspective, but it got repetitive, which was a disappointment to me. Overall, though, I would recommend this book.

[Claire · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very engaging book even though it is historical facts!! This is a great historical book with good narrative, which sometimes is tricky with dense information. While it was frustrating to learn in more detail how the US government screwed over indigenous peoples, it was very interesting to hear how much we also haven’t changed. For instance, a lot (if not all, which was implied in the book) of the white settler neighbors to the Ponca people viewed them favorably, saw them as kind neighbors who helped protect them from the Lakota and would aid the settlers. In modern times, there’s stories of black people (I know of one, perhaps there are more) befriending KKK members and, over the years of their friendship, eventually their white friends leave the KKK. Empathy is the commonality, and it is frustrating that empathy is so hard for so many people.

This book was also interesting because of how the tour group (Standing Bear, Tibbles, Bright Eyes, and the other person I already forgot) really engaged the public and got them very passionate about righting how mistreated the Ponca people were by their government. I agree with a modern member of the tribe viewing Standing Bear and the others as the first civil rights activists.

The timing of it all, specifically how recent it was after the Civil War and the 3 amendments, was insane to really think about. This book does a great job repeating certain things to help you remember what happened in earlier years to the Ponca, and also in giving time period context for who was alive and what notable things happened elsewhere in the country/ world in the year that was being described for the Ponca people.

One of the most frustrating aspects was how the blame was shuffled around. But mostly, how often the word “dignity” was in the book, because the government people were being a big babies about not wanting to change their minds about their awful, forced removal policies of the country’s native populations.

[Marsha Nuckels · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a heart breaking story of how cruel and heartless whites could be to people of color. This is what the American Indians and specifically the Ponca, had to endure because whites could not see they were humans is unreal. It was hard to read this. It is important however to know what happened, so we become kinder. I don’t understand the need to feel superior.

[Leane · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not an easy read... but it's a necessary read.

"That hand is not the color of yours, but if I pierce it, I shall feel pain. If you pierce your hand, you also feel pain. The blood that will flow from mine will be of the same color as yours. I am a man." - Chief Standing Bear

[Stephanie McGuire · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Stars. Great/important story, difficult subject matter. Lots of historical details.

[Pam Hurd · Rating 5 out of 5]

I knew the U. S. government had mistreated the indigenous people, but I had no idea how terrible the actions really were. I felt physically sick to my stomach learning the truth. Shameful!

[Ron Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was saddened, I was surprised, I was enthralled, I was happy; this story a man’s struggle is a read all should do.

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the One Book One Lincoln choice for this year. It is the story of Ponca chief, Standing Bear's struggle to return to his homeland after the government forced the tribe to move to Indian Territory.

An especially interesting point for me - one of his daughters died on the trip and is buried near my home town.

He sued the government on 14th amendment grounds and the trial boiled down to the question of whether or not Native Americans were "persons" in the sight of the government! Hence the statement "I am a Man".

[Lanae · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a Nebraskan, I feel upset with myself for not knowing more about Standing Bear and the Ponca tribe. I learned quite a bit through this book and I'm better able to appreciate the role that writers have in influencing history. My one criticism is that Joe Starita changes writing styles throughout since he is influenced by both journalism and academia.

[Paula · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm moving this book to the top of my TBR pile after hearing him speak this morning at the ARSL Conference in Omaha, NE. An amazing story teller who left the 450+ attendees spellbound with this story.

[Justin Baker]

A powerful biography about one Ponca Chief and his love for his homeland during the mass Native American removal of the 1800s. The book touches on the role he played in opening up the question of Native American equality on legal and moral grounds during a crucial turning point in Native relations.

[Teagan E · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really enlightening and full account of the Ponca people and Standing Bear in the struggle to find their place in a new United States. I thought it was a great read, and enhanced my knowledge of a known but glossed-over part of our past as a country of mixed cultures.

[Dana Tuss · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book about a heartbreaking time in American history. A good time to read this -- to be reminded we are all humans.

[Joshua Best · Rating 5 out of 5]

I rate this book a rare 5 stars. The main story is incredible, and although I’d heard it before, this book took it to a different level. Also it’s always interesting to read about the place where you live. Not only is this a United States Civil Rights story, but also a Nebraska story, and even an Omaha story – it’s very cool to think that the crux of it happened just a few blocks from where I live now.

Also, no part of the story was prolonged in the book – I was worried that the court case might take up several chapters – it did not, it was to the point and we got the key takeaways.

To me, this was a story about change – and willingness to change. Either choosing to change or choosing not to change or having change forced upon you.

I think General George Crook, the “Army’s most experienced Indian fighter”, is a hero. He had enough guts to change the way he thought about Native Americans and do something about it. So in the middle of the night, he snuck off and told the newspaper, “come report on this – what we’re doing is not right”. And during Standing Bear v. Crook, at the end of the Standing Bear’s speech, Crook was the first one to stand up and shake Standing Bear’s hand.

Judge Elmer Dundy seemed to have a change of heart also as it relates to Native Americans. He has been called an “Indian-hating judge”, but here it seems he was able to change his mind enough to rule in Standing Bear’s favor.

Standing Bear was obviously forced to change, in many ways. However, the changes I thought were most interesting were the changes he chose to make. The fact that he wanted to assimilate. So much so that during their speaking tour on the East Coast, he wanted to and eventually did, cut his hair and buy a new suit.

“More and more, the boy noticed, his father had taken to wearing white man’s clothing – shoes, trousers, shirts, sometimes a hat.”

I also heard on the Constitutional podcast, that Chief Standing Bear wanted his son to learn the ways of the white man. He sent his son to school to learn English and to church to learn about the white man’s God. He would be the bridge between the old way to the new way.

This to me, is an interesting point to think about. Standing Bear was very willing to change to the new ways and was proactively trying to position his son and the future of their tribe to assimilate more. I guess it could be argued both ways on whether or not that’s good or bad. However, there was a concept of the new way which Standing Bear would have much difficulty comprehending and would not really accept – the individual ownership of land.

The United States Government, on the other hand, did not seem willing to change… even though several individuals within the government were.

“twenty-two years after his homeland has been given away to the Lakota,
eleven years after a federal judge set him free with nowhere to go,
ten years after the Great Father pledge to return all their lands,
nine years after Congress approved the Ponca Relief Bill,
three years after the Dawes act,
a year after the Great Sioux Reservation was dismantled –

Standing bear received Allotment No. 146: a 297.8-acre parcel…”

It seemed that no matter what victories were had within government policies, reality never changed much for Standing Bear and the Ponca.

At the end of the book, I had very mixed feelings. Sure, Standing Bear gave a great speech and won the case — but did he ever get what he really wanted? He got to bury his son in their homeland, which I suppose was some consolation. But things were never the same as before 1877 when the Ponca were forced to walk off of their homeland to the Indian Territory. This, too, is change.

[MaryL · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story about Standing Bear is very important in American history. I didn't learn of Standing Bear and his tribe's struggle and eventual victory until I read this book. Standing Bear was a chief in the Ponca tribe in the 1850s. The U. S. government was moving Indian tribes into present day Oklahoma. The Poncas lived and farmed in northeastern Nebraska when a government Indian agent visited them and told them that it had been decided that the Ponca had to move south to "Indian territory." The U. S. had given the Poncas land - which had been certified with a treaty to belong to Poncas twenty years earlier - to the Lakota. Not only had the government reneged on the treaty, but they had given the Poncas land to enemies of the Ponca. The Lakota and Ponca had been enemies for generations. The author tells the complicated story of how the government betrayed the Ponca time and again with worthless promises and broken treaties. The important part of Standing Bear's history is that he went to court, and it was the first time that an Indian was declared to be a person who has rights that the U.S. must respect that are guaranteed by the fourteenth amendment to the constitution. I liked it when the author told part of Standing Bear's story and then would fast forward to present day to tell about a descendent who was living in the same spot and tell how that person related to and felt about their ancestors. I learned a lot about the government's Indian policy and the citizens feelings about it at that time in the 1850s to 1880s. The book did drag at some spots and was emotionally difficult to read at times. The author had a sometimes choppy sentence structure - short simple sentences - that made me wonder if he was trying to imitate an Indian's pattern of speech as he's transitioning from his language to English. The sentence structure seemed strange and hard to read until I got used to it.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

The appeal of your homeland. One of the driving motivations was the Ponca’s tribe’s desire to maintain, preserve and sustain their original lands. This is a completely understandable motivation so you could appreciate their heartbreak when they were forced to leave to their new territory. I also thought the U.S. government’s solution of gifting parcels of land to individuals as opposed to their tribe illustrated a very different culture amongst the Ponca tribe (and probably most Indian tribes). They value the collective more than the individual which was confusing to the U.S. representatives.

White Buffalo Girl. I was emotional about this story of the first death of the Ponca journey to Oklahoma. A casualty of the march and of the inadequacies of the government’s preparedness her grave is still observed with flowers. “The Indians don’t like to leave the graves of their ancestors but we had to move and hope it will be for the best. I leave the grave in your care. I may never see it again. Care for it for me.” Powerful.

Differences between U.S. Government and U.S. Citizens. One of the more interesting aspects of the book was the fact that U.S. citizens were largely sympathetic to the Ponca tribe and their concerns. Most of the legal momentum was created by U.S. citizens via word-of-mouth, newspaper reports, and the East Coast tour of Standing Bear and others. There were also plenty of stories of people helping the Indians in individual communities which seemed to work against how the government were treating them.



“But a man bars the passage…If he says that I cannot pass, I cannot. The long struggle will have been in vain. My wife and child and I must return and sink beneath the flood. We are weak and faint and sick. I cannot fight.” “You are that man.”

[Kathy KS · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5* for importance.

A seemingly well-researched recounting of the changes in the way the U.S. government dealt with the Ponca Indians in the late 19th century. After creating good farmsteads in northern Nebraska on the Niobrara River, the Poncas were sent to Indian Territory (now Oklahoma) on a new reservation. For a variety of reasons (mainly cited in the book), including many deaths from malaria, the loss of homes, farm equipment, crops, deathbed promises, and other results of hard work, some of the Poncas, led by Chief Standing Bear, headed north towards the old homelands.

Eventually, all of this led to a landmark court case when Chief Standing Bear sued the commandant of the military post who arrested them in preparation for returning the runaways to the south.

And there's more to the story and the explanations, when available, in this book. Quite frankly, this is one of the times those of us with European American ancestry feel a deep sense of shame. Not necessarily for things my own family may or may not have done, but the collective guilt about the handling of "the Indian question." But there are some definite good results from the trials and tribulations of this tribe during this time.

Recommended for those interested in American history and/or social justice.