Ponca Chief Standing Bear won the first civil rights trial in Native American history when, in 1879, an Omaha judge ruled he could return to his tribal homeland in northeast Nebraska to bury his son. Standing Bear vs Crook resulted in Native Americans being considered people under the US Constitution.

Standing Bear’s son, Bear Shield, became ill and asked his father to return him to the Niobrara River valley – the tribe’s traditional homeland – to bury him. Standing Bear and a traveling party of mostly women left their new Oklahoma reservation without permission in order to honor his son’s dying wish. They were captured in Nebraska and taken to Fort Omaha, awaiting their return to Oklahoma. The lawsuit, initiated by an Omaha newspaper editor, led to the successful verdict. Standing Bear was allowed to return to his home and lay his son to rest. Standing Bear, himself, would live out his days in Niobrara. He died in 1908 at the age of 78.

While 45 years passed before Native Americans would be granted American citizenship as a result of the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924, Standing Bear’s actions set the precedent for future legal actions, such as Native nations seeking to enforce treaty agreements with the federal government.

Today, Standing Bear is the standard to whom Native American leaders are compared. From Chief Joseph of the Nez Pierce to Richard Oakes leading the occupation of Alcatraz during the 1960s, and even Nebraska native John Trudell, who led the American Indian Movement following the occupation of Wounded Knee, South Dakota, in 1973, each displayed the courage similar to Standing Bear in taking on the establishment.

The Chief Standing Bear Project Inc. seeks to promote the life and civil rights legacy of the Ponca leader’s bravery by presenting public discussion groups, lectures and other events on a national level, said Katie Brossy, president of the organization. Brossy, of Ponca and Santee Dakota heritage, is an attorney in the Washington, DC, area.

The inaugural Chief Standing Bear Prize for Courage was awarded to Wes Studi, a Cherokee citizen actor and social activist. Studi, a Vietnam veteran, became involved with the American Indian Movement, and participated in 1972 Trail of Broken Treaties, as well as the occupation of the Bureau of Indian Affairs headquarters.

Turning to acting, Studi has appeared in almost 120 projects, including “Last of the Mohicans” and “Geronimo.” He currently has a recurring role as Bucky in the Hulu series “Reservation Dogs.”

Studi was a natural choice for the Chief Standing Bear Award for Courage, Brossy said.

“First, both Chief Standing Bear and Wes Studi never lost sight of their identity,” she said. “Second, both men fought for their beliefs and rights.”

Studi received the Standing Bear courage award during a dinner at Lied Center in Lincoln Oct. 11, Indigenous Peoples Day. It was the second year that Nebraska has recognized the holiday.

The Standing Bear Project also seeks to complete the Ponca Trail of Tears, which runs through Nebraska, Kansas and Oklahoma. Standing Bear has been recognized with statues at Statutory Hall at the US Capitol, on the Centennial Mall in Lincoln, as well as at the Ponca tribal headquarters and museum near Niobrara, in Knox County. A bridge connecting Nebraska and South Dakota across the Missouri River, near Niobrara, was named in his honor.

To learn more about the Chief Standing Bear Project including details on the trail and the annual Prize For Courage Award visit: chiefstandingbear.org.