Header caption, newspaper article about Indian land for sale
Short Term Effects
Susette and Thomas were dedicated to fighting against oppression and their work was an inspiration to others. Susette’s younger sisters followed in her activism footsteps. Susan, Susette’s sister, was the first Native American physician. Her sibling, Rosalie, was a Native American activist and managed the Omaha tribe’s finances.
Thomas Tibbles was granted the name “The Great Father” to honor his activism for Native American groups. Thomas was deserving of a name representing leadership and this was a title some native groups used for the President. The name “The Great Father” was the greatest honor Native Americans could bestow upon him.
"August 7th 1882 ...... an act was passed which gave the Omaha tribe permanent individual allotments of their lands with all their existing rights recognized." - from T. Tibbles autobiography
Long Term Effects
The Tibbles’ life work laid the foundation for other triumphs for this marginalized group of people. After the trial of Standing Bear in 1879, President Lyndon Johnson passed the Citizenship Act which states: "BE IT ENACTED by the Senate and house of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That all non citizen Indians born within the territorial limits of the United States be, and they are hereby, declared to be citizens of the United States: Provided That the granting of such citizenship shall not in any manner impair or otherwise affect the right of any Indian to tribal or other property. (Approved June 2, 1924)"
In 1934 the Indian Reorganization Act ended the policy of allotment, banned any further sale of Indian land, and declared that unsold land be returned to tribal control.
In 1968 Congress passed the Indian Civil Rights Act, which applied most of the Bill of Rights’ requirements and guarantees to Indian tribal governments.
Without the early efforts of individuals like Thomas and Susette, Native Americans receiving equal treatment and rights under the laws of the U.S. government may not have happened. Today, the Tibbles are celebrated as social justice crusaders and for their achievements in standing for Native American rights and equality.
An article about Susette being elected into the
Nebraska Hall of Fame
“Peaceful revolutions are slow but sure. It takes time to leaven a unwieldy mass like this nation with the leavening ideas of justice and liberty, but the evolution is all the more certain in its results because it is so slow." - Bright Eyes