Standing Bear Native American Memorial Park

22-foot bronze of Ponca chief Standing Bear, beside an educational centre

Address 601 Standing Bear Parkway

Standing Bear Park honours the Ponca chief whose 1879 court case established Native Americans as legal persons in US law. The centrepiece is a 22-foot bronze sculpture by Oreland Joe, depicting Standing Bear in traditional dress with a hand raised. It stands on a low rise looking out across the surrounding park.

An adjacent education centre tells the story of the chief, the forced relocation of the Ponca from Nebraska to Indian Territory, and Standing Bear's long walk back to bury his son in their homeland. Powwows are held in the park's amphitheatre during the summer.

things to do sight monument
A story
In 1879 Chief Standing Bear of the Ponca won a landmark federal court case (Standing Bear v. Crook) that established for the first time in US law that Native Americans were "persons" within the meaning of the law and were entitled to constitutional protections. The statue commemorates that ruling.