Standing Bear
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  • Project History
    • Project History
    • Genevieve Pollak, Co-Founder
    • Carl Renfro, Co-Founder
    • Oreland C. Joe Sr., Artist
    • Ed Pensoneau, Tribal Elder
    • Parrish Williams, Tribal Elder
  • Resources Gallery
  • Area Tribes
    • Area Tribes
    • Dance Styles
    • Pow Wow Calendar
    • Tradition & Etiquette
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We honor the legacy of Ponca Chief Standing Bear, America's first Native American civil rights leader.

We honor the legacy of Ponca Chief Standing Bear,
​America's first Native American civil rights leader.

A committee of tribal and community leaders was formed in Ponca City, Oklahoma in 1993 with a shared vision for the education of all peoples to the historical and cultural importance of the Native American culture. In 1994, the Standing Bear Native American Foundation was chartered. 

The committee included representatives from the six area tribes; Kaw, Osage, Otoe-Missouria, Pawnee, Ponca and Tonkawa. Once it was decided to erect a statue, the committee’s task was to determine which Native American should be honored. After much deliberation, Ponca Chief Standing Bear was chosen to be the subject for the monumental tribute to all Native Americans.

Standing Bear was a Ponca chief who successfully argued in U.S. District Court in 1879 that Native Americans are "persons within the meaning of the law" and have the right of habeas corpus, thus becoming the first Native American judicially granted civil rights under American law.

​His landmark speech stated that all American Indians deserved the same recognition and protection under the law as white men. Standing Bear held up his hand and said: “My hand is not the color of yours, but if I pierce my hand, I shall feel pain and if you pierce yours, you too shall feel pain and the blood that flows from mine will be the same color as yours. I am a man. The same God made us both.”
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Photograph by Tyler VanArsdale
​​

Standing Bear Park, Museum & Education Center

Contact

580-762-1514
​
​601 Standing Bear Parkway
P.O. Box 247, Ponca City, OK  74602

T.L Walker, Executive Director
​TL
@standingbearpark.com​
Tony Coleman, Facilities Manager
Picture

Visit

Standing Bear Museum & Education Center
Monday-Friday - 9AM-4PM
Saturday - ​10AM-2PM

Standing Bear Park
Open Daily - 6AM-9PM
This project is made possible by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the American Rescue Plan Act, administered by the Oklahoma Department of Libraries.
However, the opinions expressed by a grant supported outside agent do not necessarily reflect the position or policy of ODL or IMLS, and no official endorsement by those entities should be inferred.​

​© 2022 Standing Bear Native American Foundation - Photography by Speak Now - Website by MyMediaMatters
  • Home
  • Story of Standing Bear
  • Plan Your Visit
  • Project History
    • Project History
    • Genevieve Pollak, Co-Founder
    • Carl Renfro, Co-Founder
    • Oreland C. Joe Sr., Artist
    • Ed Pensoneau, Tribal Elder
    • Parrish Williams, Tribal Elder
  • Resources Gallery
  • Area Tribes
    • Area Tribes
    • Dance Styles
    • Pow Wow Calendar
    • Tradition & Etiquette