Discover the Osage Tribe: Top 7 Amazing Fun Facts You Never Knew!

1. OG Explorers

Step aside, Lewis and Clark, because the OG explorers were the Osage tribe, who painted the Midwest red (and later hunted it for buffalo hides): These skilled hunters and traders once occupied territories spanning modern-day Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas, communicating through their distinct Dhegiha dialect of the Siouan-Catawban language family. Today, the descendants of these multitasking trailblazers continue to preserve their rich cultural heritage and linguistic prowess through various programs and initiatives.
Source => samnoblemuseum.ou.edu

2. Drumkeeper Mixmaster

Move over DJs, there's a new mixmaster in town - the Osage tribe's drumkeeper: During their annual I-Lon-schka ceremony, the eldest son of an Osage family receives the esteemed title and the charge of their 100-year-old, wagon-red, tanned hide drum, considered as the heartbeat of the tribe. This whimsical handover is both a spiritual and energy-infusing event that unites the tribe and celebrates their rich heritage.
Source => aaanativearts.com

Discover how Sequoyah revolutionized communication for the Cherokee tribe by creating a unique written language in the early 1800s, allowing them to achieve mass literacy! Learn how this innovative syllabary survived the Trail of Tears and continues to be used today. 📜🌟

=> Fun Facts about The-Cherokee-Tribe

3. Swiping Right on Native Tongue

In an era where "new phone, who dis?" followed by "it’s me, language" is becoming all too common, the Osage tribe decided to swipe right on their native tongue: They devised their very own script in 2006 and refined it between 2012-2014, finally gaining official recognition in the Unicode Standard in 2016. Emojis ain't got nothin' on preserving linguistic and cultural legacy!
Source => en.wikipedia.org

4. Circle of Life Social Gathering

If there were ever a tribe that believed they could speak to the wind, get chummy with the regal elk, or host tea parties with dandelions-the Osage were it! They turned the circle of life into the best social gathering: By organizing their clans according to elements of the natural world, such as animals, plants, and weather phenomena, the Osage tribe ensured that every newborn had a ceremonious naming which was crucial for their participation in community events and ceremonies, emphasizing the importance of these rituals within their identity.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

5. Lunar Calendar Sticks

Who needs a fancy smartphone calendar app when you've got good ol' fashioned sticks and moonlight? The Osage tribe were the OGs of date keeping: They used a calendar stick to accurately track their lunar year with twelve months, even throwing in a cheeky thirteenth month every three years to keep things in sync with the solar year. This ingenious method didn't just sprout from the ground, though; it seems they may have been influenced by observational lunar wizardry hailing from far-off lands like Asia.
Source => jstor.org

6. Osage Warrior's Mane of Power

Before the invention of the man bun came a wilder, bolder ancestor – the Osage Warrior's Mane of Power: The male members of the Osage tribe shaved their heads, leaving only a fierce tuft of hair on top that could either be braided into a warrior's top-knot or left flowing down their back, while the women rocked double braids, putting today's #hairgoals to shame.
Source => nps.gov

7. Siouan-Speaking Supergroup

Before the Osage tribe hit it big with their midwest real estate ventures, they were a Siouan-speaking supergroup, rocking the Mississippi River Valley like nobody's business: This versatile tribe, along with their linguistic siblings the Omaha, Ponca, Kaw, and Quapaw, originated over 4,000 years ago in the Ohio River valley, then migrated down to the Mississippi and Ohio confluence, ultimately making their mark on the land that would become Missouri around A.D. 1300.
Source => osagenation-nsn.gov