In 1877, the Great Plains Ponca Tribe was forced from ancestral lands in Nebraska to Indian Territory in present-day Oklahoma. When his dying son's last wish was to be buried at home, Chief Standing Bear embarked on a torturous 600 mile trek to fulfill his promise. When captured en route, Chief Standing Bear sued U.S. Army General George R. Crook, demanding his freedom as a person entitled to those rights guaranteed all by the laws of the land.
—Krista Palletti Al Qirim