Ponca

The Ponca are a Native American people of the Dhegihan branch of the Siouan language family, closely related to the Omaha, Osage, Quapaw, and Kansa. The name Ponca is used for both the people and their language. Traditionally they occupied the Niobrara River valley and surrounding areas in what is now Nebraska, with movements along the Missouri River region. They were both farmers and hunters, exploiting riverine resources and bison herds, and they maintained a social and ceremonial life connected to the land.

In the 19th century, Ponca territory came under increasing pressure from United States expansion. In 1877, the Ponca were forcibly removed from their ancestral lands to Indian Territory in present-day Oklahoma after a series of government policies toward Plains tribes. The removal was accompanied by hardship, disease, and loss. A landmark legal case, Standing Bear v. Crook (1879), established that Native Americans are persons under U.S. law and granted the Ponca the right to return to their homeland in Nebraska for burial and other purposes, emphasizing their legal status.

Today, two federally recognized Ponca governments exist: the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska and the Ponca Tribe of Oklahoma. Both communities work to preserve Ponca language and culture through education, cultural programs, and language revitalization efforts, while maintaining tribal governance and services. The legacy of the Ponca is remembered in sites and stories across Nebraska and Oklahoma, including the enduring prominence of Chief Standing Bear in later American legal history.