The Osage Nation

History

Prehistorically, the Wazhazhe were believed to be related to the people that lived along the Ohio River, before migrating west (Access Genealogy).  The Wazhazhe were descendants of tribes from the Mississippi Valley, with populations that surpassed those of any European cities of the time period.  It is not known when the Wazhazhe migrated west, but when contacted by French fur traders in the 1670s their tribe was already dispersed throughout Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas, and Oklahoma (Fort Scott NHS).  The French traders mistranslated the Wazhazhe name, calling them “Osage,” which is the name that European-Americans still use to identify the tribe today (Romme).

For most of the 18^th century, the Osages were able to control Missouri due to a large population, abundant natural resources, as well as a strategic location.  They were able to trade with the French and Spanish, as well as the tribes of the Plains (Maker).  Unfortunately, their homeland was part of the Louisiana Purchase of 1803, giving the United States the power to take control of their territory (Fort Scott NHS).  Not only were the Osage dealing with the turmoil of the Louisiana Purchase, but they spent most of the 18^th century fighting with all the other tribes of the Great Plains, as well as suffering from a smallpox epidemic (Access Genealogy).  Due to influence from European traders the Osage tribe split into two distinct regions; one being the Missouri territory and the other the Three Rivers Region of northeastern Oklahoma (Maker).  The European traders were able to successfully disrupt the political structure of the tribe, causing conflict, which forced the Osage to begin negotiating with the United States (Romme). 

In 1809 the Osages began making treaties with the United States resulting in the cession of their territory (Romme).  In 1821 Missouri became a state, forcing 5,000 Osages to be permanently removed to Indian Territory (Fort Scott NHS).  Over the next 50 years the Osage gave up an estimated 100 million acres of land and were forced to live on a reservation in Kansas (Romme). Then, in 1872 the Osages agreed to sell their land in Kansas and bought new territory in Oklahoma, where they remain today.  Federal troops were assigned to this “Permanent Indian Territory” to keep the peace (Fort Scott NHS).  Although the United States government had forced the Osage to the new reservation, they were still able to remain loyal to their traditional government system until 1906 when the Secretary of the Interior replaced their council elders with tribes’ members who were willing to be compliant with the policies of the federal government (Maker).  Even though the Osage experienced pressure to assimilate, they were still able to prosper throughout the twentieth century, fulfilling their ancestral prophesy (Romme).

In 2004 the Osage government experienced another drastic change.  The Osage Peoples’ rights were reaffirmed, and they were able to establish their own form of government as well as develop citizenship standards to their tribe.  By 2006 the Osage held elections, and their new government had been installed.  Many Osage People felt that, “For the first time in 100 years the future of the Osage Nation has been returned to Osage hands” (Maker).      

Culture

            The Osage were known to be a brutal, proud, war-like tribe that had many enemies (Romme).   They were known to raid other Native American camps for supplies as well as defend their land fiercely (Liebert).  Catlin, an Indian artist, described the Osages as “the tallest race of men in North America, either red or white skins; there being few indeed of the men at their full growth, who are less than six feet in stature, and very many of them six and a half, and others seven feet” (Fort Scott NHS).   Although their tall stature intimidated many, it was their excellent hunting skills that kept them alive.  In the summer, they hunted deer and buffalo for food, clothing and medicinal purposes.  They were also horticulturalists planting corn, beans, and pumpkins (Fort Scott NHS).  The men left three times a year for the hunting grounds they called The Ozarks while the women tended the crops and butchered the meat.  The Osages only killed what they needed and were known to believe in a religion that was extremely integrated into their everyday lives (Liebert).

The Osage believed that the People of The Sky met with The People of the Land to form the Children of the Middle Waters, the ancient name they called themselves (Fort Scott NHS).  They referred to the earth as The Sacred One and had deep respect for nature.  They had a constant flow of religious rituals that were performed by priests of the tribe (Liebert).  The ancient dance E-lon-shka is a principal religious ritual that the Osage still perform today (Maker).

Social Organization

            The Osage social organization was made up of twenty-four patrilineal clans that were sub-divided into two sub-clans of the Earth People and the Sky People.  Sky People must marry Earth People and vice versa. They believed the union of the Sky People and the Earth People brought together all the forces of the universe (Romme).  The clans were ruled over by tribal elders called the Little Old Men.  Their duties included passing down traditional stories as well as making decisions on war and peace, but all Osages were encouraged to take part in tribal discussions (Liebert, Maker).  The village chief’s responsibilities were in maintaining the everyday life of the tribe, and they were not the most powerful ruling entity.  The priests of the village, a small elite group, had the ultimate authority over the tribe and were responsible for both the visible and invisible world.  Unfortunately, the traditions of the priests have been lost, but what was left of their religion has been incorporated into the Osage Native American Church (Maker).

Language

            The Osage spoke a Siouan language (Liebert).  Sadly, the language has nearly vanished due to many factors; tribal divisions, European influences, and disease that caused an immense population decrease.  Presently, many Osage populations are trying to revive the lost language (Maker).

Demography

            During the 18^th century when the Osages controlled vast territories in the west, their population was estimated to be around 10,000 (Maker).  But, after suffering from disease as well as division between the tribe by the end of the 18^th century, the population had decreased to 6,200.  By 1822, after the Osage were forced from their homeland their population had again decreased to 5,200.  By the time they moved to their permanent residence in Oklahoma their population was estimated to be around 1,500 (Access Genealogy).  Now that the Osages have found a permanent home as well as been granted their own government back they have begun to prosper.  The current estimate of their population is 4,000 on the reservation as well as another 18,000 citizens for a total of 22,000 members of the Osage Nation (Maker).   

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