Purpose
The Chief Standing Bear Prize for Courage honors contemporary Native Americans who embody the fearless spirit of the 1879 civil rights trailblazer, choosing principle over expediency, protecting sacred cultures, and advocating for justice and human dignity. Through public forums and the presentation of the Standing Bear statuette, the Prize elevates moral leadership and ensures his legacy continues to inspire a more just world for generations to come.
Chief Standing Bear
Prize For Courage
The Project celebrates the “trailblazers” who continue to shatter institutional barriers. Recognition is given to those who have risked personal safety in humanitarian service, those who use their voices to protect sacred cultural resources, and those whose professional presence replaces stereotypes with human dignity. Whether confronting painful systemic histories or advocating for justice in our courts and legislatures, these recipients prove that the fight for “personhood” is an ongoing endeavor.
About Chief Standing Bear
From his birth on the banks of the Niobrara River in Nebraska until his death in 1908, Chief Standing Bear spent his life in constant struggle to gain equality and justice for our nation’s Native Americans. In 1877, Chief Standing Bear and the Ponca Tribe were forced by a federal treaty to leave their homeland in Nebraska for Indian Territory in what is now Oklahoma. Refusing to accept this injustice, Standing Bear made the courageous journey back to Nebraska to bury his son on ancestral land. His subsequent arrest led to a landmark federal court decision in which Chief Standing Bear became the first Native American to be recognized as a person under U.S. law.
Resources
Get Involved
The Chief Standing Bear Prize for Courage celebrates Native Americans who carry forward a legacy of principle, justice, and human dignity. Support the Prize by making a donation, or reach out to learn more about how you can be part of honoring that legacy.