WASHINGTON, D.C. – A statue of Chief Standing Bear, a Native American civil rights icon from Nebraska, was unveiled Wednesday in the U.S. Capitol.

Sen. Ben Sasse joined Sen. Deb Fischer and Rep. Adrian Smith commenting on the unveiling.

Sasse: “Nebraskans are a people with honor, integrity and grit and Chief Standing Bear was a man to exemplify all of these qualities and more. He was man dedicated to his family and to his people. His legacy has lived on and I am very proud to welcome his statue into our nation’s capitol today.”

Chief Standing Bear successfully sued for his freedom in Standing Bear v. Crook, becoming the first indigenous person to speak before a U.S. federal court in 1879.

The statues of Chief Standing Bear and Willa Cather will replace statues of William Jennings Bryan and J. Sterling Morton.