Ponca Reservation facts for kids
The Ponca Reservation of the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska is located in northeast Nebraska. The main office for the tribal government is in Niobrara, Knox County. This area is also home to the historic Ponca Fort called Nanza.
Even though it's called a "reservation," the Ponca tribe doesn't actually have one large piece of land set aside for them by the state of Nebraska. Instead, they have a special service area that covers 15 counties. These counties are spread across Nebraska, South Dakota, and Iowa.
This reservation was first set up by a special agreement, called a treaty, on March 12, 1858. Another treaty followed on March 10, 1865. Later, the reservation was officially re-established by a law from the U.S. Congress on March 2, 1899. About 27,202.08 acres (110.0829 km2) of land were given to 167 Native American people for their homes. An additional 160 acres (0.65 km2) were set aside for a special agency and school buildings.
The Ponca Tribe's Story
The Ponca tribe faced many challenges even after their first reservation was created in 1858. The U.S. Government often broke its promises to them. They also didn't get enough money to support their community. On top of this, they were often attacked by the neighboring Sioux tribe, who were their enemies.
In 1875, a person who worked for the Ponca tribe visited President Ulysses S. Grant. They talked about moving the Ponca people to the Indian Territory. This area is now part of Oklahoma. President Grant agreed to the move if the Ponca people wanted to go.
When the agent returned to Nebraska, Standing Bear and other tribal members signed an agreement. They agreed to move to the Indian Territory. This agreement also allowed several Ponca chiefs to choose a new reservation site there. In 1877, the Ponca leaders planned to visit the Indian Territory. They wanted to pick a good spot for their new home.
The Difficult Journey: Ponca Trail of Tears
In early 1877, ten Ponca leaders traveled to the Osage Reservation in Indian Territory. Their goal was to choose a location for the new Ponca Reservation. When they arrived, no Osage leaders were there. This meant no land agreements could be signed.
Standing Bear and the other leaders decided they wanted to return home. This made the Indian agent who was with them very angry. In February, the group of chiefs decided to go back on their own. They spent much of their journey on the open prairie. They went for days without food. They finally arrived back at the Ponca Reservation more than three months later, in April 1877.
When they got back, the group met with their Indian Agent. He had orders to force the tribe to move to Oklahoma. The tribe was divided about leaving. Those who were willing left in mid-April. A month later, Standing Bear and the rest of the tribe left. This happened after soldiers from Fort Omaha arrived.
Nine people died during this difficult journey. One of them was Standing Bear's daughter. She died of a lung illness and was buried in Milford, Nebraska. Another child, White Buffalo Girl, also died. She was buried near Neligh, Nebraska. The people of Neligh gave her a Christian burial. They even made an oak cross for her grave.
Black Elk, White Buffalo Girl's father, asked that his daughter's grave be honored. In 1913, the town of Neligh put up a marble monument. This monument is still there today.
Several tribal leaders went back to Nebraska. They were then put in prison at Fort Omaha. General George Crook, who was in charge of the area, imprisoned them. He did this even though he felt it was wrong. He secretly told Thomas Tibbles of the Omaha Daily Herald newspaper. This brought national attention to the tribe's difficult situation.
Because of this public attention, the U.S. government eventually gave the tribe two reservations. One was in Nebraska, and the other was in Oklahoma.
