Agency
Place where U.S. government had offices on an Indian reservation.
allotment
A parcel of land given to each Indian.
amulet
A good luck item.
ceremony
A way of conducting a special event or service
clan
Many related families
commissioner
An officer of the United States
cradleboard
A baby carrier
elder
A respected older person
lecture
A talk to teach something about a topic.
Ma-ch-nah-zha
Standing Bear" in the Ponca language
malaria
A disease caused by the bite of a mosquito
reservation
An area of land where American Indians had to live.
sacred
Holy
smallpox
A disease in which a person developed a high fever and sores on the skin that burst and left little pit (pox) marks on the skin. Many Indians died from the illness.
Soldier Lodge Society
A group like a club to which only brave men could belong. They had to do the Sun Dance
Sun Dance
A dance held in the summer. Indian men moved in a circle while looking at the sun.. They had no food or water for four days. If a man finished the dance he could become a member of the Soldier Lodge Society
territory
A large area of land. Nebraska was called a territory before it became a state.
Thunderbird
The name for an eagle
treaty
An agreement between two or more groups such as tribes and governments.
umbilical cord
A string-like tether that connects a baby to its mother before it is born. After a baby's birth, Indians saved it. They believed it would give them good luck.
Vision Quest
A ritual in which boys in their early teens would go off on their own with no food or water for four days. They would have a dream or a vision that would give them special power.
Wakunda (wah-kahn-dah)
The Ponca name for the Great Spirit or God