Journal Star - Editorial, 5/14: A fitting memorial for Standing Bear

News Article

By The Journal Star Editorial Board

Republicans boast that Congress can get things done in Washington now that they have taken control of both the House and the Senate.

One way they could make good on the claim is to approve a study that could lead to designation of the Chief Standing Bear Trail.

Rep. Jeff Fortenberry won approval in the House in the last session of Congress, but the Senate failed to act. Fortenberry's new bill has already cleared the Natural Resources Committee. Sen. Deb Fischer has introduced a similar bill in the Senate.

Congressional action is warranted. Ponca Chief Standing Bear had a consequential role in history. He won a federal court ruling that Natives should be recognized as human within the meaning of the law.

The ruling came after Standing Bear made an eloquent address to the court through interpreter Susette ("Bright Eyes") La Flesche, a member of the Omaha Tribe.

Holding out his hand, Standing Bear said, "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 the same color as yours. I am a man. God made us both."

The story of Standing Bear has attracted renewed interest in recent decades. University of Nebraska-Lincoln journalism professor Joe Starita told the story in his 2009 book, "I Am a Man: Chief Standing Bear's Journey for Justice."

In 1877, the Ponca Tribe was forced by the federal government to march from its homeland in Nebraska to new territory in Oklahoma. Two years later, Standing Bear returned to Nebraska to honor his dying son's wish to be buried along the Niobrara River. His arrest led to the historic trial.

Federal designation of the Standing Bear National Historic Trail on the route traveled by Standing Bear would "honor both the courage and legacy of this brave individual and his contribution to the civil liberties of our nation," Fortenberry said. It's time for Congress to get the job done.

Source