Book Review: Standing Bear of the Ponca

 Standing Bear of the Ponca by Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve, illustrated by Thomas Floyd, University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln, Nebraska, 2013.

This book gives a very good brief history of Chief Standing Bear.  The treatment of the Ponca by the federal government was very bad, forcing them to move 600 miles south to Oklahoma and then not providing proper support.  Many died, including Chief Standing Bear's daughter and a son.  His son asked to buried on the Ponca homeland.  Standing Bear hoped to honor this request and left the reservation.  Upon arriving at the Omaha Reservation he was arrested by General George Crook.  Joseph LaFlesche (Iron Eyes) and Susette La Flesche (Bright Eyes) of the Omaha helped them all they could, and General Crook suggested Standing Bear take him to court.  The newspaper man, Thomas Henry Tibbles helped them with publicity and finding lawyers to represent Standing Bear.  And Standing Bear won after his famous "I am a man" speech with Bright eyes interpreted.  Still the Ponca had no place to live.  Bright Eyes, Chief Standing Bear and Tribble made a tour of the east to win public support.  This was successful to a degree.  At first the Ponca lived on an island, but eventually the Sioux gave part of their reservation (which had been the Ponca reservation) to the Ponca to live.  Tribble's wife passed away and he married Bright eyes.  The last chapter also deals with the legacy of Chief Standing Bear.  Pow wows and statues are made in his honor.  He is honored in the Nebraska State Capitol.  

Native American Biography: Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve, Author

 Lecture here. 

Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve is an author of children's books.  She has published over 25 books, mostly telling stories about her family and heritage of white and Native American.  One of the books is called The Christmas Coat: Memories of my Sioux Childhood.  She has also written a memoir, Special Places, Sacred Circles.  She was traised on the Rosebud Sioux Reservation and is a mem of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe (Sicangu Lakota).  She was an English teacher and school counselor.  

Book Review: How Chipmunk Got Tiny Feet

How Chipmunk Got Tiny Feet: Native American Animal Origin Stories collected and retold by Gerald Hausman, illustrated by Ashley Wolff, Harper Collins Publishers, New York, 1995.

This book tells seven Native American animal origin stories.  They are Navajo four, Koasati Creek two and Tsimsian one.  They tell stores like why Coyote has yellow eyes, and chipmunk has tiny feet.  It seems the animals make bad decisions and then are rescued by mother earth.  I like this book because I like to learn of Indian origin stories.

Book Review: Honor Flight: Celebrating America's Veterans

 Honor Flight: Celebrating America's Veterans by Jeff Gottesfeld, illustrated by Matt Tavares, Candlewick Press, Somerville, Massachusetts, 2026.

Thi is a b ook about something I had never heard of, Honor Flights.  These are flights where they take former service men and women to sites where they served.  This includes "Kilroy, Squid G.I. Joe, Airman, Jarhead, WAC or WAVE."  The flight took the veterans to many Washington D.C. memorial sights where they were honored.  This included the Iwo Jima Memorial, Viet Nam War Memorial, Military Women Memorial, WWII Memorial, Korean War Memorial.  But the most important honor was when they flew home and were greeted at the Airport, something that many of the veterans had missed due to conflict over the Viet Nam War.  At the end of the flight they were given letters from school children thanking them for their service.  I think this is an important book geared to children.

Ute Chief Ignacio

 

Ignacio was leader of the Southern Utah.  He was a member of the Wiminuche Ute Band.  They were a semi nomadic tribe, venturing into San Juan, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah.  During several treaties their area was reduced.  They first accepted a large reservation in western Colorado, which was later reduced.  Gold had been found in the area.  They finally accepted a smaller reservation in southwestern Colorado.  Ignacio's father was a medicine man.  He was killed by a man's family he had been treating when he died.  Ignacio took revenge on the family, killing all twelve members.  The southern Utes recognized Ignacio as their leader and not Ouray.  Ouray deferred to Ignacio in matters dealing with the southern Utes.  He traveled to Washington D.C. in 1880 with Ouray and Ouray's wife Chipeta.  When Ouray died Ignacio was recognized as the chief for the southern Utes by the government.  They were able to stay in Colorado.  The town Ignacio was named in his honor.  

Chief Ouray of the Uncompahgre Ute

 

Ouray was chief of the Uncompaghre Ute Band.  He was also chosen by the United States Government as being the lead person with whom to negotiate in terms of treaties.  The Uncompaghre generally lived in the mountains of central Colorado.  They would also venture onto the plains to hunt buffalo.  They saw there territory decreased on a couple of occasions, but still held most of western Colorado.  However an incident occurred in which the White River Utes attacked the BIA agency and killed the agent and several workers.  They also kidnapped several women.  Ouray and the Uncompaghre were not involved.  In fact Ouray arranged for the return of the women.  For whatever reason, this incident put into play a move to remove all the Utes from Colorado.  Ouray negotiated with the government to make the best deal he could.  There was some hesitance on the Native American part because Ouray received a stipend for his efforts from the government.  A deal was struck to remove the Uncompaghre to Utah.  However signatures were needed to ratify the treaty.  After obtaining the signatures from his own band, he traveled to the Southern Band to get signatures, and died en route, August 1880.  A negotiator bribed Utes for the remaining signatures and the Uncompaghre were removed to the Uintah Ouray Reservation in 1881.   Ouray never lived on the reservation that bears his name.

Magazine Article Review: Justice on the Tracks, How Sidney earned its reputation as Nebraska's toughest frontier town in the Fall of 1875

Justice on the Tracks, How Sidney earned its reputation as Nebraska's toughest frontier town in the Fall of 1875 by Loren Avey, Nebraska Life Magazine, Flagship Publishing, Timnath CO, September/October 2025, pp 22,23.

This short article tells a very interesting story about a murder and a double lynching.  Three en were arguing in town, Chuck Patterson, his friend Joe Reed and livery owner Robert W. Porter.  Patterson drew on Porter and three quick shots left Porter dead.  Sheriff John Ellis quickly arrested Patterson and placed him in jail.  Porter was well liked and had lots of friend being the livery manager.  By the next day a group of 40 men had gathered at the Capitol saloon owned by Cornelius "Con" McCarty.  They worked up quite an anger and with the sheriff out of town they stormed the jail.  The lone deputy did not put up a resistance and they took him out and hung him from a telephone pole.  They then returned to the saloon to celebrate their deed.  Ellis returned in the meantime and cut Patterson down.  He was not dead.  He was taken back to the jail.  When the mob heard this they returned to do the job again.  Ellis put up a resistance and they beat him into submission.  The hung Patterson again, making sure this time.  Sheriff Ellis shortly left town for good and the lead of the mob, Cornelius "Con" McCarty, took his position.