User:Shift674/Osage Essay

This is an essay about the Osage Tribe I created for a school assignment. Please do not add any information here onto the official wiki page about this topic.

Introduction

 The Osage tribe used to be a powerful tribe in the Great Plains. Their official name was “Ni-U-Ko’n-Ska”, or People of the Middle Waters. They lived in and around the Missouri River, and its branches. They spoke a language from the Siouan language family, and the name “Osage” comes from several misunderstandings. When the French met the Osage, they had met a clan called Wazhazhe, mistakenly thinking they were the entire tribe. The French wrote the name down as Ouazhigi or Ouasage. The British saw this on paper, and adapted the name.

Today, the Osage controls only a small portion of Oklahoma, due to issues with the U.S. government. However, the tribe is quite prosperous, and over 16,000 people are of Osage descent. The tribe’s success can be largely attributed to the rights to oil in the region in 1896.

History

Originally, the Osage people were members of the larger Dhegiha tribe, based on the Ohio River Valley. However, the tribe migrated west, either because of war with the Iroquois, or to reach more game. The tribe split up around the Great Plains, and the tribe was found in 1673, by French explorers Jacques Marquette and Louis Jolliet. The tribe, with help from the French, were able to take control of much of the Great Plains. This great success lasted for 128 years, before they were forced to cede lands to the U.S. Government. The tribe struggled as war forced the tribe into Oklahoma, after many conflicts between the U.S, and the Civil War.

In 1896, the Osage were given the rights to oil in their reservation. This made the Osage extremely rich and powerful among the tribes, leading to a series of murders in the 1920s. Today, the Osage continues to be prosperous, as over 16,000 people are of Osage descent, and the Osage has an official government website.

Food

The Osage got their food by both hunting, gathering, and farming. In this section, I have divided the “Gathering” and “Hunting” into two different sections, with “Gathering” including “Farming”.

Gathering

Gathering food was extremely important to the Osage, as without gathering, they would have died, only eating meat. 

In the spring, the Osage were usually in conditions where it was warm enough to plant crops in some villages. Because of this, the Osage usually planted their first crops in the spring, leaving in the summer. In the fall, the Osage went back to many villages to harvest crops, in order to survive for the winter. The Osage harvested corn, beans, and squash.

Hunting

Hunting was also an important thing the Osage needed to do in order to survive. They hosted three hunts through the years.

During the winter, the Osage would continue a hunt which may have lasted into the next year. After they were finished with the hunt, they would usually plant crops, while doing another hunt, before moving west. There, they would do their first hunt of the year. This hunt is also called the Buffalo Hunt, because of the specific animals they hunted in this hunt. After they were finished with their hunt, the Osage moved East to their villages. After harvesting their crops, the Osage would do a second hunt, this hunt including many more animals for game.

Clothes

In order to keep warm, the Osage wore clothes. The Osage also did this to prevent private parts from being shown, risking a potential hazard.

The men of the tribe wore breechcloths, fringed buckskin tunics, or shirts and leggings. Buffalo robes and cloaks were also worn with the same effect of a raincoat, or simply a coat. Women wore buckskin knee-length dresses and leggings, but they also wore buffalo robes in unpleasant weather. The Osage used “hair-pipe” beads to create highly decorative choker necklaces.

Houses

As the Osage lived in unstable conditions, they were forced to move left and right over the years, usually building temporary houses. One of which was a tepee, for hunting buffalo.

However, they also settled in villages, where they would build permanent shelters. One of which was a longlodge, which was made with a frame of willow, or hickory saplings of woven grass. The Osage also lived in wigwams, also called wickiups. These were dome-shaped houses, built by building a frame made out of wooden poles, which were then covered with animal hide, or packed sod.

Government

The government of the Osage tribe changed overtime, at first being tribal, before eventually evolving into a modern system. The past government and today’s government is so different, I have split them into sections.

In the Past

A government in the Osage tribe, in the past, was simple, as they were divided up into simple groups. These groups are also called “clans”, or “family groups” and villages in the tribe were organized into clans. When a baby was born, they would join their father’s clan. There were two groups in a clan, the Sky people, and the Earth people. 

The groups were separated by a wide dirt road that ran from the East to the West, which the Sky people lived to the north of, and the Earth people lived to the south of. Each clan group had two chiefs, one for war, and the other for peace. A council of clan leaders were eventually organized, who helped make decisions for the tribe.

Today

Today, the Osage government is drastically different than it was in the past. A principal chief, an assistant chief, and eight councilmen govern the tribe. They are elected by a popular vote.

Beliefs

The Osage believed in Wakonta, the Creator. Wakonta was believed to be a spirit that lived in everything. Originally, the Osage did not consider Wakonta to be either male or female, as Wakonta was a spirit. They thought that Wakonta’s most important gift was children, because they represented the future. To the Osage, all living things occupied a narrow place between Earth and the sky. This place held everything that could be seen, and creatures that couldn’t be seen. These creatures were connected.

It was important to the Osage to honor that sacred interconnectedness. Ceremonies were held for many activities. The most important ceremonies were held for the dead and any preparations for war.

Traditions

In the mid-1880’s, the Osage received a drum from the Ponca and Kaw Indians. These people could not continue the drum’s traditions. The Osage tribe continued the drum’s traditions, and treated the gift with utmost respect. Every year, the Osage holds a sacred ceremony, which is well-organized. The ceremony is so sacred to the Osage, that nobody is allowed to take any recordings of the event.