This journey will become known as the Ponca Tribe’s "Trail of Tears." Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. They were on such a trip when Lewis and Clark came upon their village. Niobrara NE 68760. By 1829, their population had increased to 600 and by 1842, to about 800. The invasions of the Iroquois from their traditional base in the north pushed those tribes out of the Ohio Riverarea. The Tribe’s Legislative prowess developed in the days before its actual restoration. The Northern Ponca were reinstated as a federally-recognized tribe on October 31, 1990. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... Earth lodge dwelling of the Plains tribes of North America, photograph by Edward S. Curtis. We offer a broad range of health, social, educational and cultural services. Although requests for establishment of a reservation were rejected, the tribe is working to restore its history, culture and language through its museum just outside of this Knox County community. Today, the Ponc… They lived in earth lodges and were primarily horticulturists, but also made seasonal hunting trips. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. They left Minnesota in the late 17th century owing to incursions by the Dakota Sioux. Updates? Standing Bear’s daughter Prairie Flower died June 5 as the tribe traveled south through Seward County following the Big Blue River. By 1804, when they were encountered by Lewis and Clark, a smallpox epidemic had reduced the tribe to about 200 individuals. from the Preamble of the Ponca Constitution Ponca Tribe of Nebraska Although the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska does not have a reservation, the Ponca Restoration Act established our fifteen-county Service Delivery Area across Nebraska, Iowa and South Dakota. In 1986 after 21 years, Fred Leroy decided to restore the Ponca Tribe. The Northern Poncas are still living in Nebraska today, but the Southern Poncas were forced to move to a reservation in Oklahoma during the 1800's. In effect, this meant that not only did the Ponca no longer exist but also that their remaining land and holdings were dissolved. Although the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska does not have a reservation, the Ponca Restoration Act established our fifteen-county Service Delivery Area across Nebraska, Iowa and South Dakota. Lincoln, Nebraska – The Ponca Tribe of Nebraska made history last year after being the first Tribe from the State of Nebraska to make a direct disaster declaration to the President of the United States, approved on June 17, 2019. On a spring morning, members of the Ponca tribe gathered near the town of Niobrara to follow the footsteps of their great-great grandparents who, 140 years earlier, were driven by soldiers from their traditional Nebraska homeland to Indian Territory - now the state of Oklahoma. Standing Bear was held for trial at a fort near Omaha. Promising to honor his son’s dying wish to be buried in his homeland, Standing Bear and a small band of his men began the arduous journey home to bury his son. Leroy asked the Ponca people if they wanted to be restored as a tribe. The Ponca Tribe of Nebraska is an at-will employer. The Ponca tribe originally lived in small fortified villages of thatched bark longhouses. Courtesy Nebraska State Historical Society, RG2026-5 These are the Native American tribes mentioned in early Nebraskan historic records from roughly 1770 to 1850 CE. A Nebraska reservation was eventually assigned to the Northern Ponca while many of the Southern Ponca remained in Oklahoma. The termination removed 442 Poncas from tribal rolls. The tribe’s probable size in 1780 was estimated at 800. Phone : 402-857-3391 Today, the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska alone numbers close to 4,200. By 1804, largely because of smallpox, their numbers dwindled to around 200. However, there are several theories as to the original area occupied by the tribe. By 1937, the Ponca population reached 1,222 with 825 in Oklahoma and 397 in Nebraska. The death of this child, daughter of Black Elk and Moon Hawk, symbolizes the tragic 1877 removal of the Ponca from their homeland on the Niobrara River to Indian Territory in present Oklahoma. The policy of terminating tribes began in 1945. Congress established six Administrative Criteria that all terminated Tribes had to satisfy for restoration. In 1962, Congress decided that the Northern Ponca would be one of the tribes terminated. In the 1700s the Ponca Indians separated from the Omaha tribe and established villages along the Niobrara River and Ponca Creek in present Nebraska and South Dakota. They realized that they were doing so in defiance of orders not to leave the reservation. The Ponca Indians are original people of original people of Nebraska and South Dakota. In 1906, the Ponca in Oklahoma numbered 570 and those in Nebraska, 263. Achieving this same support in the House of Representatives proved to be much more difficult. Many died along the way, including Standing Bear’s daughter, and, upon arrival, his son would also die. The Ponca were never a large tribe; an early estimate places their number at 800 individuals. There are two herds, both located in Niobrara. In 1865 the Ponca were guaranteed a reservation on their homelands, but after bureaucratic blundering the land was awarded to the Dakota, and the Ponca were forcibly removed to Indian Territory (present-day Oklahoma). The Po... nca Tribe of Nebraska Domestic Violence Program invites everyone to wear blue on Monday, January 11th to help raise awareness about human trafficking. In 1962, at the request of the Ponca, Congress provided for a termination of the reservation. By 1937, the Ponca population reached 1,222 with 825 in Oklahoma and 397 in Nebraska. Ring in the new year with a Britannica Membership, This article was most recently revised and updated by, The Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture - Ponca, Ponca - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11), Ponca - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). In the landmark decision Standing Bear v. Crook, Judge Elmer S. Dundy ruled that Indians were entitled to the rights guaranteed to citizens by the Constitution. In 1877 the Ponca Tribe and Chief Standing Bear were forced from their Nebraska homeland along the Niobrara River to an Oklahoma reservation. In fact, the original Ponca Restoration Act was opposed by the Tribe’s “home” district representative. Ponca people are thought to have migrated to the Great Plains from the Ohio River valley. These language facts and the historical stories told within the tribes suggest that all of these groups were part of one tribe that once lived near the mouth of the Ohio River. The Ponca eventually established homes in what are now southwestern Minnesota and the Black Hills of South Dakota. A marker, 200 feet to the south, recalls the death of White Buffalo Girl of the Ponca tribe. There they subsisted on horticulture and bison hunts. Spirit in the Wind – Spend the night in a tepee and learn about the culture and lifestyle of American Indian Tribes of the Great Plains at Spirit in the Wind. This uniqueness made the Tribe embark upon a vigorous program of educating and lobbying state and federal legislator officials to ensure that its members receive all the benefits and programs that the status as a federally recognized Tribe of Indians implies. The experience of the Poncas reached a national audience in 1879 when Chief Standing Bear and 66 followers returned to Nebraska to bury his son. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Copyright 2021 - Ponca Tribe of Nebraska. The Ponca Tribe of Nebraska are believed to have been part of the Omaha Tribe at one point before eventually separating. In 1877 the Ponca Tribe and Chief Standing Bear were forced from their Nebraska homeland along the Niobrara River to an Oklahoma reservation. Two groups were removed th… History. It was at this time that the Ponca were forcibly removed from their homeland in northeastern Nebraska and marched to Indian Territory in Oklahoma. The tribe later moved back to Oklahoma. Ponca, North American Indians of the Dhegiha branch of the Siouan language family. The tribe works with the Natural Resources District to manage its buffalo pastures, and the tribe also receives assistance from the Intertribal Bison Cooperative. Like many other Plains Indians, they resided in semipermanent agricultural villages and lived in earth lodges. Until the arrival of the Teton Sioux circa 1750, the Poncas' territory stretched from the Missouri River to the Black Hills. By 1989, the Northern Ponca Restoration Committee drafted language for Federal Restoration of the Northern Ponca Tribe. Although the tribe’s exact origin is unknown, some scholars believed the Ponca migrated from an area along the Red River near Lake Winnipeg. A Nebraska reservation was eventually assigned to the Northern Ponca. However, in the interim, much of the Tribe’s cultural heritage would be forever lost. The Ponca remained there and the Omaha settled on Bow Creek, Nebraska, while the Iowa went down the Missouri to the site of Ionia, Dixon County, Nebraska. In the early 21st century Ponca descendants numbered approximately 5,000 individuals. The museum — although a little off the beaten path from the town of Niobrara — is inside of a building constructed by Ponca men in 1936.  2523 Woodbine Street Ironically, as late as 1966, the Ponca would, yet again, be considered “persona non-grata” when the United States government, in its infinite wisdom, terminated the Tribe. However, as all of the Tribe’s land had been taken from them, they had no home to return to. Northern Ponca in Nebraska in 1962 (Prucha 1984:1048). Nearly all of the terminated Tribes had been restored by this time, except the Northern Poncas. What follows is the narrative of the people that came together to make that vision a reality, and the milestones that helped shape the rich Ponca culture that we know today. 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