Restoring rights

Dear Editor,

Nebraskans are good at discussing things, especially the weather. However, we are also interested in a lot of other subjects.

My cousin, Ivan Haskell, is writing about historic facts that include members of the family tree and the weather conditions in Nebraska.

He is particularly interested in Omaha. His home is in Payson, Utah. He asked me to send him information.

Being a person who is always wanting to know more facts, I've uncovered lots of information for the book that Ivan is writing.

Recently, I sent in facts to the Gazette about my maternal grandmother, who was a guide to Helen Hunt Jackson's grave near Colorado Springs. Helen Hunt Jackson became an advocate for the Indians, especially the Ponca Tribe and Chief Standing Bear.

Originally, the Poncas and the Omaha Indians lived near Omaha, Nebraska.

Page 100 of the Nebraska Life Magazine for January/February 2012 has an update on the Poncas. In the 1870s, they were forced off their land in Nebraska and marched to Oklahoma.

James H. Howard began researching the plight of the Poncas in the 1940s and 1950s. Federal legislation began fighting for their rights in the 1980s.

Thanks to Howard, many of their rights have been restored. Their traditions, herbal remedies and tribal politics are now known in 2013.

Helen Ruth Arnold,

Trenton, Nebraska