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Back in the spring of 2023, families from all three districts gathered at the Hominy Indian Village Roundhouse for a handgame. Many years have passed since our people last gathered at the Zon-Zo-Li Roundhouse for a day of fun and fellowship. Thanks to the good spirit we experienced by all that day, we know there will be more to come down the road. "Handgame Hype" celebrates the good spirit that unites us, whether it’s for a meal, a dance, or some friendly competition between the districts. About the series: The Osage Nation Cultural Center and Language Department have collaborated to create a series of videos dedicated to sharing, preserving, and celebrating the values, teachings, and traditional ways of the Wahzhazhe people.

CULTURAL CONNECTION | The Native American Church was introduced to the Osage people in the late 1800s by the Caddo and Quapaw Tribes. This form of religion was prominent amongst Osages, with approximately 40 fireplaces active in its prime. The decline has waned over the years, leaving only a small handful of fireplaces active today. 

The Osage Nation Counseling Center hosted a seminar on Wahzhazhe culture and identity on April 25, 2024, at the Zonzoli village community building. The discussion was led by Dr. Steven Pratt, a Road Man for the Lottie Shunkamolah Chapter of the Native American Church, former Zonzoli Head Committeeman, former Zonzoli Tail Dancer, and champion straight dancer and roper. A Professor Emeritus for the University of Central Oklahoma, Dr. Pratt currently teaches for the Wahzhazhe Language Department. Dr. Pratt discussed different types of Wahzhazhe identities within our community, the importance of learning and following protocol, and returning to traditional ways. This seminar is a component of the Tribal 988 Response Grant, which is designed to offer cultural insight for our tribal members who live out of state and who cannot access such materials easily. This seminar offered an opportunity for those who wish to connect, reconnect with their Osage Culture and to discover their Identity to boost their mental health on and off reservation.

Dhegiha | The Osage people are part of the Dhegihan subgroup, also consisting of the Ponca, Omaha, Kaw, and Quapaw. The tribes share many commonalities in language, culture, and oral traditions that reveal a past relationship within an ancestral group. Today, the tribes continue to maintain a variety of connections, and more formally acknowledge their language relationship at an annual gathering for the purpose of language preservation.

The funeral ceremony, as Archie Mason, Jr. shares in this video, is perhaps the most important ceremony of all of our practices as Wahzhazhe people. This video illustrates how funeral practices have evolved over generations for Wahzhazhe people.

This video illustrates how our Wahzhazhe names identify our places and roles in our families, clans, and in our ceremonies and qualify us to participate in certain cultural practices, such as the In’lonschka.

Indigenous peoples throughout Indian Country make meatpies in many different ways. Osage meatpies are made with ground beef, kidney suet, salt and pepper. The meat is wrapped in dough and baked in the oven until golden brown.

On October 22, 2022, the Osage Sesquicentennial Celebration convened the great 𐓷𐓘𐓻𐓘𐓻𐓟 𐓩𐓣𐓤𐓘𐓯𐓣 together to commemorate the 150th Anniversary of the Osage Reservation established in 1872. The event celebrated Osage resilience and major accomplishments that have sustained us as a Nation on this land. The gathering included 𐓷𐓘𐓻𐓘𐓻𐓟 traditions and cultural ways that foster unity and respect for one another in order to empower our children to shape a bright future. The event was held on the Osage Nation campus in Pawhuska, Oklahoma. The day was dedicated to all those we have lost that paved a path to a brighter future for us and future generations. Our strength and resilience comes from the commitment of our Wahzhazhe people and the knowledge that the Wahzhazhe Nation is blessed by Wa-Kon-Da. This film captures the day and will be secured in a time capsule. Future generations should know that we pray for them, as our ancestors prayed for us.