What:

A special stamp dedication of the Chief Standing Bear Forever Stamp will be held in Ponca, OK, honoring the Native American civil rights icon, who won a landmark court ruling in 1879 that determined a Native American was a person under the law with an inherent right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

This event is free and open to the public.

Who:

Diane Ingland, District Manager, Arkansas-Oklahoma District, USPS
Angela Meter, Manager, Post Office Operations, USPS
Robert Collins, Ponca Tribal Vice-Chairman
Robert Bodick, Vice Mayor, Ponca, OK

When:

Friday, May 26, 11:00 a.m.

Where:

Ponca City Post Office, 402 E Grand Ave, Ponca City, OK

Background:

The Postal Service continues its tradition of celebrating the legacy of great Americans with this striking stamp of Chief Standing Bear. The stamp features a portrait of Chief Standing Bear, based on a photograph taken in 1887. Chief Standing Bear (circa 1829-1908) was a member of the Ponca tribe, who were forcibly relocated by the U.S. Army in- 1877 from their home in what is now Nebraska to Indian Territory in what is now Oklahoma. More than 100 Ponca, including Chief Standing Bear’s only son, died from disease and hunger after the forced removal. Chief Standing Bear was arrested by the Army in 1879 when he attempted to return to Nebraska to honor his son’s dying wish to be buried in the tribe’s homeland. In the legal challenge that resulted from his arrest, Standing Bear v. Crook, Judge Elmer Dundy ruled on May 12, 1879, that an Indian was a person under the common understanding of the word and ordered Standing Bear and his fellow Ponca released from custody.

The Chief Standing Bear Forever Stamp is now available at Post Office locations nationwide and online at the Postal Store at usps.com/shopstamps.

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