Helen Hunt Jackson and Standing Bear

Helen Hunt Jackson found fame as a novelist, poet, and champion of the rights of indigenous people the West in the nineteenth century. Her friendship with Chief Standing Bear of the Ponca--an activist for his people's rights--influenced her literary works and her tireless efforts on the part of American Indians.

Jackson's friendship with Chief Standing Bear and her daring efforts to publish a book about the broken promises of the United States government made with the Native Americans is a compelling story. During the three years it took Jackson to write the book attempts were twice made on her life. There was a lot of speculation about who tried to kill her, including many politicians who resented her association with Chief Standing Bear and the book she was working on, but no one was ever charged with the crimes.