Before the May 12, 1879, landmark decision that determined he was entitled to the same constitutional rights as all Americans, Standing Bear was not even recognized as a person by the U.S. government.
On Friday, the 144th anniversary of Judge Elmer S. Dundy's ruling that "an Indian is a person," the Ponca chief was honored as a civil rights icon by the same government that once denied his humanity.
Underneath a bronze sculpture of Chief Standing Bear on Centennial Mall in downtown Lincoln, the U.S. Postal Service unveiled a new Forever stamp bearing the civil rights leader's image at a first-day-of-issue celebration.
Eighteen million Chief Standing Bear Forever stamps featuring a painting by artist Thomas Blackshear II have been printed and will be put into circulation to celebrate the Ponca leader's legacy, said Anton Hajjar, vice chairman of the Postal Service's Board of Governors.
People are also reading…
"Although the United States was founded on the principle that 'all men are created equal,' it took our country far too long to recognize the humanity in many of its people," Hajjar said, "particularly the American Indians who lived in these lands for thousands of years."
Speaking to a crowd of roughly 200 people, including members of the Ponca tribe and descendants of Standing Bear, Hajjar said the chief's journey to becoming an American hero began with love and commitment for his people and his family.
Forced from their homes in northeast Nebraska by the U.S. Army in 1877, Standing Bear and 700 other Ponca journeyed 600 miles to the south to Indian Territory in what is now Oklahoma.
At the end of that long, arduous trek, Bear Shield, Standing Bear's eldest son, died of an illness, but not before the Ponca leader promised he would return his son's body to their ancestral lands in the Niobrara River valley.
Hajjar said it was that love for his son that led Standing Bear to return to Nebraska along with 29 others to honor Bear Shield's wishes, despite the possibility of being arrested by the army for doing so.
"And it was out of love that he took the U.S. government to court, asserting simply that he was a person with rights under U.S. law," he added.
Standing Bear's successful lawsuit, in addition to winning the Ponca their rights and freedom, led to all American Indians to be recognized as citizens in 1924 through the Indian Citizenship Act.
It has also made Standing Bear a civil rights giant, several speakers said on Friday.
“This story of an indigenous rights hero is truly and deservedly an American story,†said Judi M. gaiashkibos, executive director of the Nebraska Commission on Indian Affairs, “and with this stamp his legacy is further etched into our nation’s consciousness.â€
Candace Schmidt, chairwoman of the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska, called Standing Bear a "pillar" for her tribe and "one of the pivotal civil rights leaders in American history."
"The Ponca Tribe is elated that this stamp will help illustrate his story of justice and triumph, which is also our story," she said. "It also serves as a symbol of the pride and perseverance for all our members past, present, and future."
One of Standing Bear's descendants, Steve Laravie Jr., a traveling singer and advocate for American Indian traditions, spoke to the Poncas and other American Indians in attendance about using the celebration of their ancestors to reconnect with their people and culture.
"Open yourselves to what is possible," Laravie said. "This is the vision that we need together as the American Indian people. Pick up a song, pick up a dance, pick up a language, learn and share the voice and memory with each other.
"We are all of value and a piece to it all," he added.
Hajjar, who said he has long admired Standing Bear, said it was right that he be honored with a stamp.
"Since the 1880s, the Postal Service has used stamps to celebrate the legacy of great Americans and we are proud to do that today with this striking stamp of Chief Standing Bear," he said.
The stamp marks the latest honor for Standing Bear, whose story has gained increased visibility in recent years.
In 2017, the Legislature passed a law to put a statute of the Ponca leader in Statuary Hall in the U.S. Capitol.
The state of Nebraska followed up by renaming a state office building the Chief Standing Bear Justice Administration Building.
And Lincoln Public Schools' newest high school bearing Standing Bear's name is set to open this fall.
In addition to the honors and titles, gaiashkibos said the story of the civil rights leader can be shared on an individual basis through the new stamp.
"I encourage you all to write a letter and put the Standing Bear stamp on that envelope," she said, "and teach your children to do the same."