Susette La Flesche Tibbles (1854-1903) became known across the country for her advocacy for indigenous rights. When she saw injustice, she helped other Native people stand up to the federal government, and win back their rights in court.
Susette La Flesche Tibbles (1854-1903) became known across the country for her advocacy for indigenous rights. When she saw injustice, she helped other Native people stand up to the federal government, and win back their rights in court.
You’re probably familiar with rebels without a cause, but what about rebels with a cause? This month on Womanica, we’re talking about women who broke rules that were meant to be broken. From the “Godmother of Title IX” Bernice Sandler, to the most prominent figure of the People Power Revolution, Corazon Aquino, to the “Queen of Civil Rights” Ruby Hurley, these women took major risks to upend the status quo and create meaningful change.
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Hello! From Wonder Media Network, I’m Jenny Kaplan, and this is Womanica.
This month, we’re talking about Rebels WITH a cause: women who broke rules that were meant to be broken. These women took major risks to upend the status quo and create meaningful change.
Today, we’re talking about a woman who became known across the country for her advocacy for indigenous rights. When she saw injustice, she helped other Native people stand up to the federal government, and win back their rights in court. Let’s talk about Susette La Flesche Tibbles.
Susette was born in Bellevue, Nebraska in 1854. Her father, Joseph La Fleshe, known as Iron Eye, was the last recognized chief of the Omaha tribe. The same year Susette was born, the Omaha tribe relinquished a large portion of their land, and moved to a reservation in northeastern Nebraska. In 1862, Susette attended the Presbyterian Mission Boarding Day School on the reservation.
This school was one among hundreds of residential schools established in the 19th century. Residential schools were designed to forcibly assimilate indigenous children into western culture. Children were required to dress in western clothing, they were prevented from speaking their native languages, and they were forced to abandon their indigenous practices. The teachers and administrators at these institutions were often emotionally and physically abusive.
Susette’s time at the residential school isn’t well documented. But we do know after she finished, she wanted to continue her education. So she traveled to New Jersey and enrolled in the Elizabeth Institute for Young Ladies. She became well known for her writing abilities -- and even published an essay in the New York Tribune.
After Susette graduated, she returned to the reservation to teach at a government school. She also started hearing stories about the U.S. government taking land from indigenous tribes all across the country. Like the story of the Ponca tribe.
In 1875, after decades of the government mismanaging their treaties with the Ponca, chief Standing Bear, signed an agreement with a federal agent. The government intended for the Ponca Tribe to move to “Indian Territory,” which was land set aside by the government specifically for Native American use. But the terms were unclear: Standing Bear thought the Ponca would get to choose where they would live.
In 1877, Standing Bear and nine other Ponca leaders went with government officials to survey the Indian Territory land. There, they found disease, and land that was stony and unsuitable for growing much of anything. They decided the land was not suitable to live on, and refused to move the Ponca people there. But the U.S. government did not care. They forcibly removed the Ponca tribe from their ancestral land, marching them through harsh weather conditions and swarms of insects. Nine people died – including Standing Bear’s daughter. And once the Ponca arrived, disease decimated the tribe.
This is where Susette comes in. Her paternal grandmother was from the Ponca tribe. So, when Susette and her father heard about the tribe’s forced relocation, they traveled to the Indian Territory to see the Ponca’s new living conditions. What they found was dire. Standing Bear’s son had also died of disease.
In 1879, Standing Bear attempted to return to the Ponca ancestral land to bury his son. Along the way, the Omaha gave Standing Bear food and shelter. That is, until he was arrested for leaving Indian Territory. .
Susette jumped into action. She began working with the journalist Thomas Tibbles to publicize the government’s mistreatment of the Ponca. It worked. The public was sympathetic to Standing Bear and the plight of the Ponca. By the time Standing Bear’s case made it to trial, people crowded the courtroom. Susette served as his interpreter. Over the course of two days, she helped Standing Bear make the argument that indigenous people should be treated as citizens, and have equal protection under the law.
Standing Bear won his case. For the first time, U.S. law was forced to recognize Native Americans as human beings with inalienable rights. Susette became known around the country as “Bright Eyes.”
After Standing Bear’s trial, Susette started working as a courtroom interpreter and expert witness for Native Americans suing the government. When she wasn’t in court, she was going on speaking tours around the country.She educated people about the injustices that the Ponca tribe and other Native Americans had faced, and advocated for indigenous rights.
In an 1880 speech, she said: “When the Indian [...] fights for his property, liberty, and life, they call him a savage. When the first settlers in this country fought for their property, liberty and lives, they were called heroes.”
In 1882, Susette married Thomas Tibbles. Four years later, they traveled to England and Scotland. Susette and Thomas spent ten months there, meeting royalty and giving lectures about indigenous rights in America.
Susette’s speaking tours and advocacy eventually led to the 1887 Dawes Act. The act was supposed to integrate Native Americans into broader American society by encouraging them to participate in the agricultural sector. In the end, the Dawes Act allowed the federal government to take more than 90 million acres of tribal land from Native Americans, and then sell that land to non-native American citizens.
Susette died in 1903, at 49 years old. Ninety-one years later, she was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame.
All month, we’re talking about rebels with a cause. For more information, find us on Facebook and Instagram @womanicapodcast.
Special thanks to Liz Kaplan, my favorite sister and co-creator.
As always, we’ll be taking a break for the weekend. Talk to you Monday!