Sara Laville

Today, the Ponca Tribe is in the process of restoration as is so aptly expressed by its mission statement: We, the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska, in order to restore all rights previously held by our people and their descendants, promote peace, prosperity, happiness, and the general welfare of the citizens of our Tribe and our posterity: to exercise home rule, to conserve and perpetuate all worthy traditions and cultural elements of our people long established by customs; to improve our social order; to protect our rights as individuals; to promote business enterprise, both cooperative and individual; to promote educational opportunities for all Northern Ponca people; to consolidate our land holdings; and to provide for the inheritance of both real and personal property. Currently, the main concerns of the Ponca Tribe are twofold: 1) To provide for the needs of its people, namely, through the programs offered by the Tribe 2) To preserve what remains of its culture. Although lacking any land base, the Tribe does have designated “service area" counties: twelve in Nebraska, one in South Dakota, and two in Iowa. The Tribe also has office sites located in Niobrara, Norfolk, Lincoln, and Omaha, in Nebraska, and Carter Lake and Sioux City office in Iowa.