Chief Standing Bear Statue Unveiled at U.S. Capitol

Sept. 18, 2019, 5:45 p.m. ·

standing%20bear.jpg
A model of the Standing Bear statue sat in the Warner Chamber at the Nebraska Capitol building during the watch party. (Photo by Allison Mollenkamp, NET News)

Representatives from Nebraska and the Ponca tribe helped to unveil a statue of Chief Standing Bear at the United States Capitol today. Nebraskans gathered at the Nebraska Capitol building in Lincoln to watch the ceremony.


The Warner Chamber at the state capitol hosted a celebration today, as onlookers gathered to watch a live stream of the unveiling of a statue of Ponca Chief Standing Bear.

The statue replaces one of Williams Jennings Bryan, a former Omaha World-Herald editor and secretary of state under Woodrow Wilson, as part of Nebraska’s contribution to Statuary Hall at the US Capitol. In the 1870s Chief Standing Bear was detained for leaving a reservation in order to bury his son. The federal government argued Chief Standing Bear was not a person, but Standing Bear won the case.

Nebraska Supreme Court Justice Stephanie Stacy spoke at the watch party in Lincoln. She said the statue will help teach the nation Chief Standing Bear’s story.

“It’s a really inspiring story of courage and dignity and perseverance," Stacy said. "It’s the story of an early civil rights leader who stood before a judge in an Omaha courtroom in 1879 and he asked to be recognized as a person, entitled to the promise of equal protection of the laws under the 14th amendment.”

The Chief Standing Bear statue will soon be joined by a statue of Nebraska author Willa Cather. Cather's statue will replace Julius Sterling Morton, an agriculturist and founder of Arbor Day.

Editor's Note: The spelling of William Jennings Bryan's last name was corrected in this story. A description of Bryan and the statue Willa Cather's statue will replace was also added.