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Removal of Ponca Tribe is Announced
A U.S. Indian Inspector Edward Kemble announces that the government has decided to remove the Ponca from the Niobrara to new Indian territory. Immediate protests ensued which had no affect on the decision. “This land is ours. We have never sold it. Here we wish to live and die. We have harmed no man. We have kept our treaty”. -
Forced Removal of the Ponca Tribe
Soldiers arrived at a Ponca village and forced them off their native land. The Ponca unwillingly marched south to their new territory. The journey was gruesome and many Ponca died along the way. -
Ponca Arrive at New Home
The Ponca finally arrive in their new territory. Many of the native were still very sick and glad to be able to rest. This group joined the first group of 170 Ponca, who were removed earlier, in awful living conditions. “Here there was no work to do. We had nothing to work with, and there was no man to hire us. All my people are heartbroken”. -
New Land is Granted to the Ponca
The U.S. government allowed the Ponca to travel 150 miles west to new land along the Arkansas River. According to Chief White Eagle, the land was better than their original assigned territory but it was still hard to make good out of something with no resources. -
Members of the Ponca Tribe Flee
Standing Bear and 30 other Ponca tribe members flee their territory and travel north to a reservation the Omaha tribe reside in. They were eventually taken back to their own territory and Standing Bear was arrested. -
General Crook Shows Compassion
General George Crook meets with Standing Bear and gives the imprisoned Ponca time to recover before forcing them back to their own territory. In the interview with Standing Bear, Crook was moved by his words and showed a little empathy. “I thought God intended us to live, but I was mistaken. God intends to give the country to the White people, and we are to die”. -
Standing Bear v. Crook
The natives fight to stay in Nebraska Territory and argue that they were treated inhumanely as wards of the state. Gen. Crook defended his actions with the assistance of military orders and was granted a writ of habeas corpus. U.S. District Attorney G.M. Lambertson appeared before Judge Dundy and gave his arguments as to why the Ponca had no rights to a writ of habeas corpus because natives were not considered citizens. The judge elected to hear more arguments and the case began. -
Victory for the Ponca
The trial of Standing Bear v. Crook lasted two days. Despite the objections by U.S. Attorney Lambertson, Judge Dundy granted Standing Bear permission to speak. “The blood that will flow from mine will be of the same color as yours. The same God made us both”. Those powerful words affected many people in the courtroom, including Judge Dundy. After several days of deliberation, the Ponca were granted their right to return to the Omaha reservation.
