Thati'a. Ižaže Wí'tàke Chairwoman Candace Schmidt of the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska. Today, we are honored to share with you the importance and role of oral history in our culture.

We keep our ancestral teachings alive through our stories and songs. These traditions help us carry our people into the future, weaving our history, legends, and virtues into the fabric of tomorrow. Our grandparents and immediate family members were our schoolteachers. As we walked through contemporary societies, we learned the ways of our people by hearing oral stories of ceremonial practices, folklore, traditional cooking, and medicine. These stories guided us in carrying out our traditional customs and teachings, just as those who came before us did.

Due to the policies created by the U.S. government, the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska faced a critical decision about our existence in the mid-20th century, specifically in the 1960s. Our leaders were forced to make decisions that would affect us for years to come—28 years, to be exact. During this challenging time, these stories kept the spirits of our people alive when the U.S. government relinquished our status as a federally recognized tribal nation. We refused to be lost in the winds and forgotten in history.

Our history is entwined in the songs that we sang. For example, we, the P'ą́'k'a Níkašiga, composed a song for one of the first civil rights activists in the United States who exercised Habeas Corpus: His name was Mąčú Nąžì (Standing Bear). The song celebrates his accomplishments and his struggle for justice.

This is just one of the many songs our ancestors sang that kept our voices and stories alive for generations, even when they told us we would be forgotten in history. Through these songs and stories, we have preserved our heritage and continue to pass it down to future generations.