Ponca Tribe seeks independence

In many ways, the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska's rise from near extinction to restoration began with a question from Fred Leroy's daughter."

She asked why there was nothing in the history books about the Ponca Tribe," said Leroy, 57, of Omaha, a member of the Ponca Tribal Council.

For Leroy and others, the question triggered the movement to rebuild the Ponca Tribe from heirloom to provider of homes, health care and other services for its more than 2,500 members.

On Monday, the tribe hosted more than 60 people at an open house in its new Sioux City office at 119 Sixth St. The office staff hopes to guide more than 80 of the city's tribal members to its educational, social and cultural services.

It's the sixth field office for the tribe, with an Iowa location in Carter Lake and Nebraska stops in Lincoln, Niobrara, Norfolk and Omaha. As part of the restoration agreement, the tribe does not have a reservation and the offices are central locations for tribal members spread throughout the region, Leroy said.

The Poncas lost their traditional land holdings in northeast Nebraska in 1966 when the tribe lost federal recognition and all the benefits that went with it. Starting in 1945, the federal government began removing American Indians and their land from federal trust in order to withdraw federal services and money that had been provided to Indian people through treaties.

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