Natl. NAGPRA Review Committee Confirms Osages Were Part Of
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Children’s Art Exhibition PAGE 7 Volume 11, Issue 12 • December 2015 The Official Newspaper of the Osage Nation Chief charges Fourth ON Congress with Constitution violations Shannon Shaw Duty not be amended without Osage News congressional approval. • Fourth count: The uncon- Principal Chief Geoffrey stitutional Congressional Standing Bear is petitioning imposition of requirements the ON Supreme Court for a on principal chief appoin- declaratory judgment against tees to the constitutionally the Fourth Osage Nation Con- authorized Osage Nation gress for alleged Constitution Gaming Enterprise Board. violations. “The role of the Congress All four counts pertain to ar- BENNY POLACCA / Osage News is essential in a three-branch ticles in the Constitution that Handmade ornaments used for decorations on the Osage- government but their role is include Separation of Powers, theme Christmas tree on display at the Red Earth Art Center for to be the legislature. The Con- the composition and duties of December 2015. gress crosses into the Execu- Geoffrey Standing Bear the Executive Branch and the tive branch when they try to composition and duties of the execute and perform the laws vidual salaries of Execu- Legislature. they make,” said Standing tive Branch employees. “The Congress has been Osage culture represented Bear in a news release. He also served the Chief’s petition • Second count: The un- sat on the Second and Third seeking declaratory judgement in Christmas tree exhibit ON Congress. “Such a concen- constitutional Congres- from the Supreme Court of the tration of power in one branch sional determination Osage Nation. This lawsuit is of government should not be of job descriptions for no surprise, as the Assistant in Oklahoma City allowed.” certain individual posi- Principal Chief promised the In the 10-page petition, Geof- tions within the Human Chief would file suit against Benny Polacca frey M. Standing Bear, Princi- Resources department of the Congress several times Osage News pal Chief of the Osage Nation the Executive Branch. during the Tzi-Zho Session,” v. Maria Whitehorn, Speaker Whitehorn said in a congres- OKLAHOMA CITY – Osage culture and artistic cre- of the Osage Nation Congress, • Third count: The uncon- sional statement. “As Con- ativity are showcased here at the Red Earth Art Cen- he makes four counts against stitutional Congressional gress reviewed the Fiscal Year ter’s inaugural holiday exhibit with five Christmas trees the congress and claims injury control over Enterprise 2016 annual operating budget decorated to feature the distinct cultures of five separate to his office as chief. Boards by combining re- requests in early September, Oklahoma tribes. quirements for annual plan we realized the Chief had pro- Starting Dec. 1, the Red Earth Art Center will celebrate • First count: The uncon- content with a declaration posed spending in excess of See CHRISTMAS stitutional Congressional that the annual plan is See CHARGES —Continued on Page 12 determination of indi- legally binding and can- —Continued on Page 4 Natl. NAGPRA Review committee confirms BENNY POLACCA/Osage News Newly elected Hominy Indian Village Five-Man Board members pose for a photo with the Osage Nation Election Board and staff Osages on Nov. 3. Standing and now serving on the board are Larry Mak- Courtesy Photo/ONHPO er, Jeff Willcox, April Mitts and William Shadlow (Not pictured is Dr. Andrea Hunter (center) gave a successful presentation to the Nation- Reuben Deroin). Seated are Election Supervisor Alexis Rencoun- were part al NAGPRA Review committee on the Osage’s cultural affiliation to the tre, election board members Shannon Lockett, Terry Hazen, Belle Mound building culture on Nov. 18 in Norman, Okla. Wilson, Assistant Election Supervisor Courtney Dailey and board alternate member Anita Fields. about the tribal affiliation of and Fox occupancy of the area of Mound human remains and funer- and correlates to the ancestral ary objects found in Clarks- Osage occupation of Missouri, culture ville, Mo. Hunter, her staff, according to the presenta- Hominy Indian Village Morgan Currey from the ON tion. The NAGPRA committee Shannon Shaw Duty Attorney General’s office and agreed. Osage News three members of the Tradi- Presented to the committee votes in all-new board tional Cultural Advisors com- were multiple lines of evidence The National NAGPRA Re- mittee attended the NAGPRA that included geographical, Benny Polacca view Committee ruled unani- meeting. archaeological, linguistic, oral Osage News mously the Osage people are “The remains discussed traditions, historic, kinship, culturally affiliated with the were prehistoric, before Eu- anthropological, biological and HOMINY, Okla. – Following a two-night election, the Late Woodland people in Mis- ropean contact,” said George Hominy Indian Village has a new Five-Man Board to folklore. The archeological souri, Illinois and the Mis- Shannon, chairman of the evidence also included ceram- oversee the maintenance and upkeep of the village lands. sissippian people. The ruling Tribal Cultural Advisors Com- On Nov. 3, the Osage Nation Election Board announced ics, tools, additional artifacts, ties the Osage people with the mittee. “The Sac and Fox, who historic trade items, mortuary the voting results after conducting the election in the mound building culture. also claimed the remains, were Community Building where they counted the votes at the practice and petroglyphs and “This is huge,” said Dr. not in that area of the United iconography. end of the second night. Now serving on the Five-Man Andrea Hunter, ON Historic States in prehistoric times. Board are: April Mitts, Reuben Deroin, William Shadlow, Preservation Office director They were only there after Jeff Willcox and Laurence “Larry” Maker. and Osage tribal member, in European contact. I think Dr. Clarksville Mound Group The 2015 election comes following an executive order an email. “Some folks here [at Hunter did a good job in pre- The Clarksville Mound issued by Principal Chief Geoffrey Standing Bear call- the Osage Nation] have publi- senting our case and it ap- Group is a site in Clarksville, ing for the village election, which had not been held since cally doubted our connection peared the national committee Mo., that at one time had 10 2009. The Election Board opened a polling place at the to Sugarloaf Mound and Ca- was impressed. It looks likely mounds from the Late Wood- village Community Building for two nights so village resi- hokia. An expert panel ruled that we will be given custody land to Mississippian period, dents could cast votes once board nominees were made. that we are.” of the remains.” according to the ONHPO pre- The process is similar to the Pawhuska Indian Village’s The ONHPO presented its The ONHPO claims the in- sentation. However, all but See HOMINY case to the NAGPRA commit- dividuals from the Clarksville one mound was destroyed —Continued on Page 4 tee on Nov. 18 in Norman, Mound site date to a prehis- See MOUND CULTURE Okla., after questions arose toric period that pre-dates Sac —Continued on Page 4 INSIDE THE OSAGE NEWS FOLLOW THE OSAGE NEWS ONLINE ON Congress to Consider Same-Sex Marriage Bill . 2 Wall of Heroes . 8 • Breaking news at osagenews.org New ON Campus Buildings Unveiled. 3 Elders Series: Richard White Luttrell Sr . 11 • facebook.com/osagenews Osage Artist Clancy Gray Honored with Exhibit. 5 Sports . 19 • twitter.com/osagenews Children’s Art Exhibited at ON Museum . 7 Obituaries / Classifieds . 22 • flickr.com/osagenews 2 December 2015 Osage News • osagenews.org ON Congress to consider ON tribal court judge same-sex marriage bill refuses to dismiss during Hun-Kah Session missing Pawhuska Shannon Shaw Duty Buffalohead responded. Buffa- it – we have seen it our entire village money cases Osage News lohead said she voted once in lives: moms, dads, uncles, aun- Benny Polacca the Tzi-Zho session to advance ties, blurring lines. We have Osage News the bill for a vote of the con- The Fourth Osage Nation proven time and again, they Congress will consider the gress. The bill made it to the are people of honor, impor- An Osage Nation Trial Court judge overruled motions to same-sex marriage bill during floor but did not make it for dismiss the cases regarding the missing Pawhuska Indian the upcoming Hun-Kah Ses- a final vote and went back to tance and love. To not recog- Village Five-Man Board money and the four defendants could sion. Congresswoman Shan- committee. nize their lives as vital and face trial in 2016. non Edwards introduced the Although the United States important facets to our own On Nov. 5, presiding Associate Trial Court Judge Lee Stout bill in April of this year. Supreme Court made its his- negates our love for them.” overruled motions to dismiss the cases and asked the defen- The bill was assigned to toric ruling legalizing gay mar- Mary Barrett replied, “WTF riage in the United States, the dants’ attorneys whether their clients would like to proceed the Governmental Operations Ever.” committee and there it has law does not apply to tribes. with a jury trial or non-jury trial. The current Osage Nation stayed. There are 567 federally recog- The cases against the four former Pawhuska village board “I asked the Chair of the nized tribes and not many rec- marriage law defines marriage members Theodore Brunt, Kenneth “KC” Bills, Joe Don Mas- Committee of Jurisdiction to ognize same-sex marriage and as “a personal relationship hunkashey and Frank Redcorn will proceed due to the deni- bring that legislation off the there are tribes who have bans between a man and a woman als. Stout set a Dec. 2 pre-trial hearing in the cases. table in the last regular Ses- against it. arising out of a civil contract The four defendants filed motions to dismiss the cases after sion so it could be voted on.