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Here is a short article in
the Ponca City News about Joy Tibbits who spoke to the Ponca tribe about the
historical research she has completed. I have to say I am not Morman but do
have respect for the great amount of extensive research Mrs. Michael (Joy)
Tibbits has done in preserving the history of the Ponca Tribe.
http://www.poncacitynews.com/templates/290935083392140.bsp
Donna
Brother Dan Jones spoke and introduced the small group of Mormon officials
with the words, "It is in our ethics to care for people who are persecuted
and he added that Joy Tibbet's work as a historian was valuable in helping
us to know our past so that we might cherish the future.. This time in
August of 2006 makes the gift of the records particularly valuable because
of the time capsule being buried which will be opened in 130 years."
Joy briefly spoke and
outlined her work. In 1840, she told, the Mormons were forced out of
Illinois to Iowa. An advanced party then moved on west to Nebraska. Winter
was coming so eight Ponca Chiefs wanted them to stay there with them through
the cold months. The Momons did stay on the Ponca TribalLands. Twenty-three
of them died during the winter.
When studying genealogy Joy
learned of this and began to become interested to know about the Mormon
people who were buried at Niobrara. She researched a collections of journals
kept by members of Morman families. As she began to realize what the Ponca
people had done for them she felt a great appreciation toward the tribe and
wanted to do something in the way of keeping a record of these acts so that
they might not be lost.
Her historyical recordings
are of: The Poncas own trail of tears and their removal to Oklahoma, annuity
records, census records, records from the archives. This is the first book
with dates from 1860 to 1906. The second book is of individual Ponca
records.
Comments from my own
reporting on this meeting:
From before the time I
studied History of Religion in college it has been my role, often to speak
with total strangers about my Christian faith. The teacher I had at that
time, Mr. Maag, gave us a lifelong assignment and it so strange how I have
enjoyed it. He said, "Make an effort to learn about the religions of many
peoples," and this wasn't just those of the Christian faith. Over the
fifty years since I was in school I have been able to do that and have
witnessed the beliefs of many different faiths. This assignment Mr. Maag
gave did not weaken my own beliefs but just as he said, somehow it has
strengthened my own faith. Of course, we never really know the total
workings of a religion but it is the deep, underlying convictions of the
people as they strive to stay faithful and do good works that can inspire us
to continue in our struggle to stay true to our own. In any event, no matter
how wide the differences are in beliefs, the initial goodness of a people
came out through the the Poncas offering humane treatment to a suffering
people and surely these are the things our Creator observes. On the other
hand, the goodness of Joy Tibbits in doing this ardurous research and
writing is to be commended and respected, as well.
Joy did tell me she goes to
my page at Electric Scotland often, so we are of a kindred spirit in that
way. |
