Judge Laurie Smith Camp was an icon within the Nebraska legal community, not least because she was the first woman to serve as a federal judge in the state. She was a fierce advocate for women’s rights and gender equality, and she ruled from the bench from a place of strong ethics and great integrity.

Once the shock of Smith Camp’s unexpected death last September wore off, the Omaha Bar Association wanted to create a way to honor her legacy and to recognize those who emulate and promote her values. Thus was born the Laurie Smith Camp Integrity in Service Award.

Selected by OBA past presidents, the award is given to those who have made “outstanding contributions, above and beyond the call of duty, related to advancing diversity and inclusion; improving access to justice; providing pro bono service; mentoring of others; advancing innovation in the legal profession; and/or serving and representing the legal community.”

It is only fitting that the first recipient of the Laurie Smith Camp Integrity in Service Award is someone who not only embodies the values Smith Camp stood for but also someone with whom she worked closely on a number of initiatives across the state.

Judi gaiashkibos has served as the executive director of the Nebraska Commission on Indian Affairs since 1995. During those almost 26 years, gaiashkibos — who does not capitalize her last name — has been a strong advocate for equality, diversity and inclusion on behalf of Native Americans and all Nebraskans.

“It’s an incredible honor to be selected as the first recipient named in honor of Laurie Smith Camp for integrity and service,” gaiashkibos said in an interview with The Daily Record.

As executive director of the NCIA, gaiashkibos sees herself “as a cultural mediator and as a public servant.”

“I came from a long line of tribal leaders that dedicated their lives to advocating on tribal issues,” gaiashkibos said. “I feel very fortunate that I’m able to follow in their footsteps and continue this important work, to ensure that Native voices are heard and that tribal issues are elevated and deemed relevant.”

One of the first times gaiashkibos worked with Smith Camp was at a meeting of Oglala Sioux tribal leadership at the Pine Ridge Reservation. The two of them, along with a few other state officials, flew in a private plane to western Nebraska, and gaishkibos was immediately struck by Smith Camp’s dedication to her work.

“All the way there, she was very interested,” gaiashkibos said. “A couple of the people on the plane took a nap and read a book, but Judge Smith Camp was very engaged, and I always say, ‘to be interesting, you must be interested,’ and she was.”

While Smith Camp had gaiashkibos’s undivided attention, she asked question after question on the upcoming meeting.

“She wanted to know all the nuances of meeting with tribal leadership,” gaiashkibos said. “That I thought was very admirable.”

A member of the Ponca Tribe, gaiashkibos grew up in Norfolk, where as a child she learned firsthand about the inequities and injustice faced by Native people.

“Coming from a tribe that was terminated and restored without a residential land base, we were rather unknown,” gaiashkibos said.

The Ponca Tribe was disbanded and stripped of its land and holdings by the United States government in 1966 and wasn’t officially restored until 1990.

As a child, gaiashkibos took to heart the story of Chief Standing Bear, whose landmark trial in 1879 granted personhood under the law to American Indians, though it wasn’t until 1924 that Native Americans were given the right of citizenship.

“The story of Standing Bear has been kind of my launching pad to educate people about First Peoples’ rights, not just for the Ponca Tribe, but for all people,” gaiashkibos said. “For the first time in our nation’s history, we were considered human beings. So I think Standing Bear’s story has really propelled awareness, raised the level of knowledge for people.”

Smith Camp was so taken by the story of Standing Bear that she became a regular speaker at gaiashkibos’s Standing Bear Breakfasts, which brought people together to learn about Native culture and history.

Smith Camp also joined gaiashkibos in Washington, D.C., in 2019 when a bronze statue of Standing Bear was installed in Statuary Hall in the U.S. Capitol.

“Having Standing Bear in the U.S. Capitol sends a message that your unsung heroes, people that you immortalize through a bronze sculpture, are people that you honor and value,” gaiashkibos said. “So we’re visible there and for all Nebraskans and people, especially Indian children, they can see someone like Chief Standing Bear. To be, you must see. So to see Standing Bear there in Statuary Hall, I think that’s a big inspiration.”

Now that more people are aware of Standing Bear’s contribution to civil rights in America, gaiashkibos hopes to spread the stories of other Native Americans who made an impact on American history, such as Dr. Susan La Flesche Picotte.

Picotte was a member of the Omaha Tribe and she became the first Native American to earn a medical degree. After receiving her degree from Women’s Medical College of Pennsylvania, Picotte returned to Nebraska and became the sole medical provider for the Omaha Reservation.

Picotte raised money to build a hospital on the reservation, which was completed in 1913, but has since fallen into disrepair. gaiashkibos is currently working to have the hospital renovated.

“It was kind of deteriorating, so we’re repurposing the hospital to serve the community today, to offer health services and also as a memorial to the legacy of America’s first Native American doctor,” gaiashkibos said.

Another achievement that gaiashkibos is proud of is the creation of the Native American Cultural Awareness and History license plate that can be purchased from the Nebraska Department of Motor Vehicles. Three-fourths of the $40 cost of having the buffalo-emblazoned license plate goes to a scholarship fund for Native college students. To date, the tribal license plates have raised $66,000, gaiashkibos said, and she is looking forward to bestowing four $5,000 college scholarships to Native students later this year.

“It’s the gift that keeps on giving,” gaiashkibos said. “It helps to empower future generations.”

Not that gaiashkibos is planning to slow down anytime soon. Going forward, there is still much to do.

“I’d like to ensure that tribal nations have a seat at the table in all critical policy and regulatory issues,” gaiashkibos said. “I’d like to see the elimination of Indian mascots. I’d like to continue education about the meaning of tribal sovereignty and the unique status of tribal nations.”

When Smith Camp died,  gaiashkibos lost a dear friend, but she is honored to be recognized by the OBA with this award.

“(Smith Camp) was a mentor and a well-respected colleague and someone who always strived for excellence,” gaiashkibos said. “She made her mark on all that she did with integrity. That was one of her guiding principles. I, myself, have strived to incorporate integrity in the work that I do on behalf of Native people, not for the end goal of being recognized or awarded for my work, but the ultimate goal of making a difference.”