Famous Ponca


Famous Ponca Chiefs and Leaders

Carter Camp, AIM activist

Buffalo Bull Chief (aka McDonald) – 1896

Thomas Cry (Moni Chaki or Big Elk) –  c. 1877

Donna Jones Flood – Artist, poet, and author. 

Ga-Hi-Ge (The Chief)

Big Goose – 1914

Hairy Grizzly Bear –

Inshtatheamba, or Bright Eyes, was a writer, lecturer, teacher and civil rights advocate from the Omaha Indian tribe. The daughter of Joseph LaFlesche, or Iron Eye, an Omaha chief, & Mary Gale, or The One Woman, Bright Eyes is best known for her efforts on behalf of Standing Bear & the Ponca Indians, who were illegally imprisoned by the U.S. government. Bright Eyes received her teaching degree from the Elizabeth Institute, in Elizabeth, NJ. (Ponca/French Canadian) –

Lone Chief aka Antoine Primeaux – Ponca/French-Canadian

Smoke Maker – 1877

Oscar Makes Cry –

Mon-non-shu-de or Raises the Dust –

Ump-pa Tonga (aka Big Elk, aka Robert Primeaux) the son of Lone Chief (aka Antoine Primeaux) – Ponca/French Canadian 

Little Soldier –

Chief Standing Bear – First Indian to be declared a “person” according to law.

Wa-non-she-zhin-ga or Little Soldier –

White Swan a.k.a. Frank LaFlesche Sr. (Ponca/French Canadian) –

Susette La Flesche Tibbles (1854-1903), also called Bright Eyes, was a well-known Native American writer, lecturer, interpreter and artist of the Omaha tribe in Nebraska.

Susette LaFlesche was a progressive who was a spokesperson for Native American rights. She was of Ponca, Iowa, French, and Anglo-American ancestry. In 1983 she was inducted into the Nebraska Hall of Fame.

The Whip – 1927

White Deer –

Chief White Eagle –

First Walker –

Wa-non’-she-zhin-ga or or Little Soldier – Ponca/Sioux.

White Weasel –

Jen Nee’ Water Woman – Author. She is a descendant of Chief Standing Bear of the Ponca tribe, daughter of Velma Louise Pensoneau Jones and granddaughter of Mary Ross, Cherokee.

 

The census taken on 1 June 1930 of the Ponca Tribe on the Ponca Reservation lists the following surnames:

  • Baker
  • Barrel
  • Bear
  • Becker
  • Bernhart
  • Birdhead
  • Borton
  • Boyd
  • Brokenjaw
  • Bungy
  • Christensen
  • Clements
  • Clute
  • Cole
  • Conway
  • Coulter
  • Couran
  • Dacelle
  • Davis
  • Drappeau
  • Drippo
  • Ducker
  • Eckley
  • Engen
  • Feather
  • Finetalk
  • Fisher
  • Franklin
  • Frazier
  • Garneaux
  • Glick
  • Grant
  • Hamilton
  • Hanson
  • Hightower
  • Hocking
  • Howe
  • Jones
  • Kealear
  • Knudson
  • Laravie
  • Larson
  • Lassor
  • LeClaire
  • Lenmkuhl
  • Loomer
  • Mackey
  • McBride
  • McGraw
  • McLamore
  • Medicinehorn
  • Miller
  • Morris
  • Papan
  • Peniska
  • Picotte
  • Porter
  • Post
  • Premeaux
  • Ramsey
  • Rhodd
  • Roe
  • Ross
  • Roy
  • Rulo
  • Sampson
  • Saunders
  • Selle
  • Sherman
  • Smith
  • Spottedwood
  • Stabler
  • Standing Elk
  • Swanson
  • Taylor
  • Thayer
  • Uhler
  • Walker
  • Waterman
  • Whitecoat
  • Wolfe
  • Yellowhorse
  • Youker
  • Young

Ponca Tribes:

Ponca Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma
Ponca Tribe of Nebraska