THE LAND OF THE OSAGE The following series of articles on the mighty Osage is a reprint of nine of my columns appearing in the Branson (MO) Daily News. The series commenced in the paper June 28, 2005. The Osage were and are a great tribe. Following is Part I. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - This series is dedicated to the memory of my late Uncle Mac McKenzie. Mac loved to travel and see new places. He would have liked to have visited the old Osage people at their famous village site atop the hill. Both would have been very friendly and interested in each other. They would have gotten along great. The Land of the Osage We here in the Branson area in southwest Missouri live in old Osage country. There were also many other tribes in this area throughout the millenia. Some native cultures such as the Delaware got pushed out of the northeast and eastern U.S. by the white glacier and lived here in the Ozarks awhile before moving on. But the mighty Osage were here when the French began to explore the mid-west, and they were still centered in western Missouri until they moved in 1823. The Osage were known to be here around 1600 and possibly before. Their language shows Siouxan connections, and they have legends saying that they actually came from the eastern central U.S. - the Ohio valley. Their religion has roots in the great Mississippi Culture. But, even before the Osage there were hundreds of other cultures over thousands of years here in the mid-west, and the entire north American continent for that matter. The scope of antiquity of the Ozarks by itself though is breath-taking. The archaeologists can begin to get the feeling of such vast times by just standing in digs with deep deposits and looking at artifacts and other clues coming out of bottom levels all the way up to the top. But once this picture dawns on you - the vast time involved and just how many interesting cultures there were - it is quite an experience. Of all these cultures here in the Ozarks though, the Osage tribe was one of the most interesting. The Iroquois, Mohawk and other tribes out east are famous and very important certainly. The Iroquois Confederacy even influenced our form of government - a federalism - and also the Founders borrowed their ideas that chiefs were servants of the people. And the Navaho and Apache of the southwest and the various plains tribes are famous. I do believe that more archaeologists and anthropologists have studied these tribes. But the Osage rank right up there with all the other tribes, and perhaps are even superior in many ways. Much went on in their council lodges. They were great organizers and sent out hunting parties to the far corners of their large domain. They were inquisitive thinkers on a par in some ways with the Greeks and Old Testament writers. I know that is saying a lot, but examine their concepts. They believed that Wakonda their one God was a spirit and within all material objects, and all material things were reflections of this Great Spirit. This is like something out of Genesis or St. Paul and his "quickening spirit." The Osage have the most complex religion that I have ever encountered in anthropology...and what's more they applied it all through the day. In theology they were even ahead of the Egyptians - again, saying a lot, but they believed in the one spiritual God Wakonda --- who made the sun, which was worshipped by Aknaten and Nefertiti. It's fascinating. So, the Osage were great theologians and had a very complex religion. It will truly amaze you. The Osage were confident characters, for after all, they ruled a vast area - the Ozarks (bigger than some countries of Europe and U.S. states), plus much of eastern Kansas and part of present day northeastern Oklahoma, and, of course, much of north Arkansas. And, they ruled with an iron hand. Very few wanted to tangle with the mighty Osage, although they were in a war culture and war went on as in most of North Am. Would you want to fight these warriors, some of whom were seven feet tall...and many of the women six feet? The warriors were husky too, not string beans as the Masai of Africa. it was like a race with many Shaquil O'Neills! Ft. Osage founded by order of William Clark in 1808 was frequented by Osage engaged in the fur trade. John Bradbury writing in 1811 said of the Osage: "The Osage are so tall and robust as almost to warrant the application of the term gigantic; few of them appear to be under six feet tall, and many are above it. Their shoulders and visage are broad, which tends to strengthen the idea of their being giants." (see: Ft. Osage Natl. Historic Landmark site). The reconstructed fort is located along the Missouri River near Sibley, MO. The Osage could easily draw 75 lb pull bows made of springy Osage Orange "Hedge" or "Bois d'Arc"...and drive arrows through buffalo. I don't believe there has ever been such a great light infantry. Just imagine they could jog 60 miles a day. If a hard driving Civil War infantry outfit could travel 20 or 30 miles or so a day on a forced march they were doing good. If anyone is ever looking for an Ozark Olympic event there is one for you, the Osage jog. Elmo Ingenthron had a paper he found one time and showed Dad and I re. the Osage and it mentioned this. When the Osage first obtained horses by around 1700 and became light cavalry, these big fellows were even harder to beat. The horses helped them with not only war but with their hunting and hauling of meat back to the main village - known as "The Village of the Big Osage" on a large plateaulike hill northeast of present day Nevada, Missouri...and also to the village of the "Little Osage" a splinter tribe. From the site near "The Big Osage" they moved in 1717 northeast to Saline County, then, returned and settled near the main Osage in 1780. A few days ago, June 17th, when coming back from Overland Park, Kansas (in the K.C. mega-complex), I thought I would stop by and see the location of the main village site of the Osage. The old location is administered by the Mo. Dept. of Natural Resources. I had always wanted to see the site. And, too, my old archaeology/anthropology professor and advisor the late Dr. Carl H. Chapman of the Univ. of Mo. had specialized in the Osage and conducted several digs there and also had done his PhD dissertation on this famous tribe. While I had been on many of Chapman's digs as a shovelhand I had not been on his Osage village site digs...at the "Brown Site" as it is sometimes called. I was looking forward to this visit and thinking to myself..."the Osage hunters and even some of their families who came along with them at times had actually seen the late Old Liberty Tree (200 plus years old) when a sapling on the Branson lake front shore. Families of Osage had camped at the mouth of Swan Creek and on up the creek also at Forsyth, Missouri (now Taney Co. seat)." The mouth of Swan Creek site is a beautiful location by the way with a big bluff (probably used to post scouts). The Osage in fact traveled all over our area, then, back to near present day Nevada, Missouri. (More later about my adventures looking for the old Osage Village site - their home base - one of the great sites of American antiquity). RM - July 12, '05 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Land of the Osage, Part 2 I was driving along highway 71 going south from Kansas City in western Missouri, and when I neared Nevada was looking intently for a sign saying, "Osage Village Site...Turn Here." But, no luck; I went right on by the turn off (I was later to learn it was Road M going east). So, here I came to Nevada, Missouri. Fortunately, I saw a sign near the turnoff that said "Tourist Information." This information center was a tiny building near 71. A nice lady there gave me a little folder with a map of how to get to the site. She also told me that I had arrived at Nevada during their big Bushwhacker Days Celebration centered around their square. I had heard of this event and also their Bushwhacker Museum just northwest of the square. How great! I thought while here I would take in the museum. The street around the square is so wide that they have diagonal parking in the center, and I parked the truck there. I found the museum located in the basement of the old jail. This is a very fine museum, and this is where they have a big Osage display. There is no museum at the actual site; they only have some information boards in two gazeebos "kiosks" as I was to learn later. But, this was great, a very nice display along with all kinds of publications here at the museum. Had a great time talking with Patrick Brophy and bought a couple of his books: "Osage Autumn" and "Bushwhackers of the Border". I also bought another book: "The Osage and the Invisible World; from the works of Francis La Flesche," Edited by Garrick A. Bailey. I talked with two lady docents in their old, long, pioneer day dresses. I appreciated their taking time as they were all right in the middle of getting ready for their big celebration. I should mention that the museum has an excellent old medical section. This is a very large area, with many displays, probably one of the best in the U.S. This area of the state and the Bushwhacker Museum is very important historically for us down in the Branson area of southwest, Missouri, because during the Civil War, southern Missouri and north Arkansas was a no-man's land full of mean bushwhackers. This is one of the places in the Civil War that you wouldn't want to have lived...this and the path of Sherman's march to the sea and some other scorched earth places. When I finally returned to the truck, here came a policeman on a golf cart, one of Nevada's finest. He said, "We've been looking for you! We are closing off the street!" He was very nice about it, and gave me instruction on the best way to get back to the highway. When he found out I was going to the old Osage site, he said in parting: "Don't let the Indians get you!" So, I drove out through a small opening in some orange cones and was on my way. Again, when I reached Road M, I was amazed that there was no sign. The site can also be reached by turning east on 54 and turning up on C. Anyway, I headed east. I was soon to learn that the map drawn on the folder had no way to determine distance. You are constantly wondering if you have gone too far. So, I kept going on and on for about 15 or 16 miles to a little place called "Fair Haven" (just a few houses on the map). Just to make sure I asked a farmer for directions. He said I could turn on a little road just before Fair Haven (to the north) or one after Fair Haven. We talked for a while, and he pointed to Blue Mound just north of the village site. (I was getting so close to the main site that I was burning!). The mound is actually a natural hill where the chiefs were buried. The farmer said: "It's interesting...we go to Branson to see the shows...and you come up here to see the old Indian sites." I turned left a short distance off the turnoff and leaving a cloud of dust on the country road spotted the rustic sign at the entrance. I turned in to a nice little parking area built by Missouri's Department of Natural Resources. A nicely kept path led gradually up the hill to the first covered "Interpretive Kiosk," then, up to another "Rest Stop" shelter near the summit. From here led a circular path with numbered points of interest along the way. Information boards in the shelters tell about the points of interest. As I was doing some sketches and taking notes in the 2nd "gazeebo" I heard the eerie sound of an owl from some nearby woods...hoot...hoot...hoot (in the daytime at that! Odd). Hmmnn. Maybe the policeman at the town square really knew something when he said: "Don't let the Indians get you!" (more later about this great old site and the mighty Osage). July 13, '05 RM - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The Land of the Osage, Part 3 What a great, ancient, Native American site - the home base of the mighty Osage! From atop a plateaulike hill, with gradually sloping sides, near Nevada, Missouri, the Osage ruled a vast domain, including here in the Branson area. This remarkable race claimed southern Missouri and much of northern Arkansas as well as eastern Kansas and part of northeastern Oklahoma. Their hunting parties were even known to range beyond this area. The Osage hunters crossed the Missouri River north at Arrow Rock (Arrow Rock Osage display), and they went all the way south to the Arkansas River. I wouldn't be surprised if they ventured even farther south at times for trade and hunting. Atop the flat topped hill were 200 lodges, which surrounded two Chief's lodges (they had two rulers as the ancient Romans had two Consuls). I'm guessing that there were many more lodges in the surrounding flat lands and amidst many gardens. There was also a splinter group nearby "The Little Osage", who would later move up very close to the Missouri Indian tribe along the Missouri River (now Saline County area). The Chapman's believed that the French traders encouraged the Little Osage to move north. "The Big Osage" were also seen by the French as a great source of furs and skins. They would exchange iron pots, adzes, axes, flint locks, blue venitian beads and cloth for these precious items. This was big business. America was opening up, and there were cataclysmic events on the horizon. Amazing trade was a lifeblood and empires were at stake. The French needed to beat the English and needed money. The Osage needed flintlocks to battle enemies; horses weren't enough. later, Jefferson wanted to beat the French in trading and form a big country. But, first, there must be domination of trade. For thousands of years of world history, always behind the scenes was (is) trade. All the Native Americans themselves for millenia had been traders. They knew all about trade. Even though many of the tribes were warlike they managed to trade. An obsidian point (non Osage) from the Rockies was found not far from Branson at Gainsville (Mo. Archae. Soc. pub). Catlinite pipes from the Pipestone Quarry in Minnesota have been found in Louisiana. Flint Ridge flint from the Flint Ridge Quarry in Ohio has been found in Missouri. Trade is all powerful. In practically any problem on the world scene today, just look behind the scenes and you will probably find answers and keys involving trade. In Branson today, tourism is the big commodity; in those old days it was fur. And, by the way, there was an old trading post established by James Wilson in 1830 across from Branson in the Hollister area on present day Yacht Club property. Delaware Indians probably lived in that area according to historians Edith McCall "English Village in the Ozarks" and Elmo Ingenthron, "Indians of the Ozark Plateau" and "Land of Taney." It was an exciting time here in the central U.S. when the French first recorded information on the Osage in the late 1600s (Marquette and Joliet). The French established Fort Carondolet near the main Osage village. No one has found the location. It was built by the Chouteaus in 1795 but abandoned in 1802. The Chouteaus lost out to Manuel Lisa who was granted trade rites. In 1806 the explorer Zebulon Pike came by and recorded seeing "10 houses east of the original location of the fort." Lisa's trading post was built "near junction of the Little Osage and Marmaton River." This post lasted until 1822 and was located between the Little Osage and Big Osage villages. Chouteau returned in 1808 and built a trading house "southeast of Papinsvile" (a short distance to the north of the Big Osage village). There was another trading place called "Osage Factory" built in 1821 "on or near Papinsville." This post only lasted until the move of the Osages in 1823. In 1821 a curious development occurred in the history of the Osage village and surrounding area. A group of missionaries from N.Y. state came out to save the heathen Osage. Interestingly, at first the Osage were in favor of this. They were interested to learn about the white man's religion. They were curious scholarly types. The missionaries established "Harmony Mission" near the village. They built a grist mill, school, church and ten houses. The mission only lasted a short while until the Osage moved. No doubt there were some interesting interactions; I don't believe the Osage found the white religion too great...or at least some of the Osage. Another feature of much interest just north of the village site of the Big Osage is Blue Mound. This site is actually a hill not a mound, and is the burial site of the Osage Chiefs according to legend. Pawhuska, the last of the older chiefs, and also called: "White Haire" was buried there around 1824. Standing atop the site of the Big Osage village it's interesting to think about the old days. Fields of native corn, beans and squash stretched far on the fertile ground beneath the hill. There were many lodges on the plateau top. Whether there were some lodges in the bottoms would take some excavation. At times they had to protect themselves from enemies, but sometimes not as much. And, it seems it would have taken more people to rule their vast area than those living in the reported 200 lodges on the hill top. Anyway many lodges could be seen with their curious patch look of mats and skins for walls and roofs. Their floor plans were rectangular and their roofs were rounded. The inhabatitants were pretty safe. I can't imagine too many enemies attacking the mighty Osage up close here at their home base, although it probably happened at times in the war "revenge" culture that was never ending. I have thought about why did the Osage choose this location? Fortification no doubt was one reason, proximity to water, fertile fields, central location in mid-west, and I believe there were religious factors. Their chiefs and ancestors were buried near. Thanks to information panels at two kiosks at the Osage site for information on the historical chronology of the site and nearby area. Also thanks to the Chapman's Indians and Archaeology of Missouri. (more later). July 14, 2005. RM - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -Note. coyping is going slow. I can report that the series on the Osage has grown and grown and grown to 9 published columns in the paper. That series needed some revising, and am doing so in my copying here. So, readers here are getting the latest version. RM - Aug. 23, 2005. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -Here it is Oct. 21, 2005 and am just getting around to copying more - Part 4. I received a lot of comments about this series. Several folks said proudly "I am part Osage." The Land of the Osage, Part 4 The news is full now about top athletes taking muscle enhancing drugs. But, it is an interesting fact that the mighty Osage who roamed our Branson area from around 1600 to 1823 didn't take any such drugs, and I can't imagine any athletic hero today who would want to take on either the Osage men or women! The Osage were remarkable specimens. Also, they didn't have vitamin pills nor did they have to go on diets. They had to have been doing something right and deserve a lot of study by us today. For one thing, the Osage diet is very interesting. They loved persimmons and made a bread out of the pulp. They also liked nuts and the meats were probably added to the persimmon bread or cakes that were baked on a board over a fire. I keep running into this persimmon bread in the sources. I was talking with the late Ben Barton in the supermarket one time while his wife Pauline was shopping. Ben was an expert on trees with the Missouri Department of Conservation. We got on the subject of persimmons and Ben said that they contain a lot of protein. He said that deer like persimmons. The Osage also surely knew about pemmican - ground dried meat - that had a number of ingredients added - berries, nuts and the like depending on what was available. This food would last a long time, and was the original "trail mix." The Osage knew about jerky - dried and smoked strips of meat. This food would also last and was very good tasting. The Osage were great hunters (much exercise), and there were plenty of buffalo, or bison if you will, roaming the prairies in those days. They also hunted deer, bear, turkey, ducks and other small game. They collected mussel shells from the mud along the shores of streams. When I was a little river rat at Galena, along the James, we kids would wade along the shore and spot the mussels by a tell-tale stream of tiny bubbles that would go right up to the surface. We would dig them out, test our muscle against their muscle - prying them open. Then, we would cut the mussel meat in little bits and use for fish bait. I have a hunch that many an Osage kid did the same thing. By the way, Galena was a camping area for the Osage. They would come right on down from their main camp near Nevada to Galena, then, veer off east to Swan Creek, near present day Forsyth. Of course, they had many other trails all over their vast territory, but I believe that was one of their favorites. I'll have more about this later. The Chapmans tell about one especially favorite food of both the Osage and Missouri tribe, and that is the American Lotus (Nelumbo Lutea)...both roots and seeds. Much ceremony surrounded the gathering of the first roots. Part of the first gatherings were returned to the water. Women and girls waded out into shallow ponds and with long, sharpened sticks dug out the roots. When I visited the site of the Big Osage tribe, I was amazed at the sea of blackberry bushes atop the plateau-like hill. Also, there were wild plum trees growing profusely on top. One of the plum trees was the biggest I have ever seen. And, by the way, Lewis and Clark noted seeing plum trees along the Missouri River on their famous expedition. So, add wild plums and berries to the diet of the Osage. And plum trees have a sap that some ancients used to fix stone points to shafts. I have a hunch that they used this "glue" at times, but can't say for sure. Besides being gatherers and root diggers, the Osage were also farmers and grew pumpkins, squash, beans and corn. They used buffalo scapulas (shoulder blades) for digging and also pointed digging sticks for planting. They would make little mounds (mini raised gardens) and poke holes in the top and put in the seeds. After planting time, the Osage were usually off on the hunt. Some accounts say that they were not very good at weeding and cultivation, although I have a hunch that women, men and some kids left behind had that chore. Some of the tribe had to hang out around the corn to chase the crows away. It is an interesting characteristic about the corn plant that it can't propagate itself. The seeds can't get out of the husk. The plant has to have humans to help it along. See: "The Mysterious Grain" by Elting and Folsom. What a great relationship - corn and man! I would imagine that their main corn crop was a multi-colored corn. They may also have had some purple pop corn, but this will take some more research. Tiny corn cobs have been found in Ozarks rock shelters. I recall that Bob Bray found a tiny carbonized cob in a shelter along the White. I recall visiting that little site with some other shovelhands. And Dad, the late Steve Miller, when doing research for his painting "The Ozarks Bluff-dweller" (now at Foster Museum, College of the Ozarks) consulted agronomist Mottsherd working at the school. He believed the tiny ears of corn were in fact purple. Then you have the possible connection of the Osage and the Neosho focus (also with some rock shelter connections)(re. speculations by the Chapmans in their Indians and Archaeology of Missouri), and thus the reasons for my own speculations on the Osage and a purple corn. But no doubt a lot more excavations (and lucky finds at that...maybe some carbonized cobs and kernels...or perhaps they carried some corn from Missouri to Kansas to Oklahoma?) will be needed both in the soil and books...but this and more is certainly tantalizing...as everything connected with Osage food. Moses Carver, who owned the baby George Washington Carver, raised multi-colored, Indian corn (thanks to Ranger Michael Rhymer at the Carver (birthplace) Monument, Diamond, Missouri). The old Carver farm at Diamond is not too far from Nevada. The Osage moved away in 1823 and the Civil War commenced in 1860. You can visualize farmers - Native Americans, whites and blacks - carefully saving corn and other seeds and re-planting, carefully keeping the lines alive. This saving of edible plants was going on all over the country. In fact, it had really been going on for 4,000 years among the Native Americans themselves. This time span involved the story of agriculture in America. The ancient Native Americans were Luther Burbank types carefully checking their plants and spotting odd varieties and trying them out...and saving perhaps. The Osage no doubt were doing the same thing and checking with neighboring tribes on trading expeditions. What might be new? I believe it was a rather exciting part of the life of Native Americans. At times the process was slow, but to discover some plant that was new and useful was a great accomplishment...and no doubt a "feather in the cap" of the discoverer. One plant especially serves as a great example of something new and that is the squash. The little Ozark wild gourd (a small ball shape) developed numerous sports along its 4,000 year history and turned into many of the squash varieties we have today - all thanks to the Native American "Luther Burbanks." (thanks to Smithsonian and Univ. of Florida scientists for tracking down this story. This was reported in a Smithsonian news publication (I'm excavating the specific title). Also, besides material foods, the Osage had some great mental food, perhaps the most important of all. They were great thinkers, observers and confident. Also, they were very religious. Their highly involved religion has to be right up there with some of the great religions of the world...and the ones today too!!! Everything in the lives of the Osage had a religious connection. Their entire village layout was constructed to connect with the cosmos. They were deeply wired into Wakonda - the Great Spirit. Every material thing, including themselves was the spiritual reflection of God. Sounds like right out of Genesis! They were highly advanced. There will be more later on the fabulous religion of the Osage. Thanks to the earlier anthropological researcher on the Osage, Francis La Flesche, and to modern scholar Garric A. Bailey who studied the works of La Flesche. This study is entitled: "The Osage and the Invisible World." (to be continued). - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The Land of the Osage, Part 5 This series on the mighty Osage, who ruled here in the Branson area in antiquity becomes more and more interesting, especially on the subject of Osage religion. Much of the story of Osage religion almost slipped through the hands of scholars. According to Bailey, there was only about a ten-year or so window of opportunity to interview the last of the old Osage priests who knew all the secrets. Religion and other cultural knowledge was going fast. The new Peyote religion was taking over and it decreed that the religion of the past should be forgotten. Also, the white man's culture had been dominating for a long time. It is amazing that any old religion was left, but it was disguised amidst other cultural intrusions. Thanks to a Willie Mays type catch in the anthropological outfield - getting closer and closer to the wall of oblivion - that was made by an Indian anthropologist by the name of Francis La Flesche (1857 - 1932), much was saved. La Flesche was well trained and worked for the Smithsonian. Also, much thanks go to another scholar, Garrick A. Bailey, a graduate student working on his Ph.D dissertation, who went through the pages of La Flesche, and analyzed and edited this difficult material. Scholars now have to sit down with knees shaking thinking about what could have been lost. Not only would information about the old Osage religion - possibly the most unique Indian religion in North America - have been lost, but also much of the ancestor religion of the Osage - that of the giant temple mound builders of the southern U.S., the fabulous Mississippi Culture with even further roots in Meso-America. You probably know some of the landmark sites of this culture most notably Cahokia (across from St. Louis) sites through the S/E U.S. and the remarkable "oddity" site of Spiro up the Arkansas River and located at Spiro, Oklahoma. The mound complex here in a string, tapering in size is sometimes called "the King Tut Tomb of America." Even though this culture was out by its lonesome it produced some great cultural materials. And as we are learning about their connections with the Osage they no doubt had a fabulous complex religion. The shell engravings found there look like something from Meso-America. A pot-hunting group got only some goodies, trampling priceless archaeological clues in the process, and then dynamited the whole thing. This was one of the worst, maybe the worst, tragedies in American archaeology. Still, it's interesting to study Osage/Mississippi Culture connections. The Osage are as the proverbial tip top of the cultural iceberg. And much checking still has to be done of Mississippi Cultural roots itself. We need to check the old Woodland Culture and Meso- merican cultures as well. The story gets dimmer and dimmer the further one goes back in antiquity (an unfortunate archaeological rule), but, nevertheless, we can catch glimpses of wonderful antiquity of the Americas with help from information that was just hanging by a thread as is the case of the Osage. The results of Bailey's editorial work are published in "The Osage and the Invisible World" from the works of Francis La Flesche. Also, I note that we need to thank a benefactor Edith Gaylord Harper for publishing assistance at the University of Oklahoma Press. This is a great American story. There have been other writers on the Osage, but the La Flesche story is especially interesting and significant. Another factor that makes Osage religion so important is that, as Bailey points out, religion plays an important part in all Osage cultural elements. I would imagine that many ministers today would be very envious of the devotion of the Osage. What's more, the Osage priests were more than just people who presided over routine ritual, they were also philosphers, theologians and sharp students of everything around them including the vast cosmos. They were thinkers. The Osage believed that the more they knew, the more this knowledge would help their people survive. It looks like they were as keen observers and thinkers as the old Greek philosophers, but they didn't have writing as Aristotle. The Osage did have great rituals and songs - memory aids - as knots on Quipu strings of the Inca. Obviously, they had a great body of oral literature. First and foremost, as other Native Americans, the Osage worshiped the great spirit they called Wakonda. They were so utterly devoted to Wakonda that they became emotional during prayer. Every morning at daybreak all the family members in the village would gather just outside of their doorways and - facing East - would wail, moan and cry. This must have been an eerie sound. The people offered their devotion like this three times a day. Just imagine, the Osage hunting parties and their families who camped at the mouth of Swan Creek near Forsyth - and at several other locations up Swan Creek, according to Schoolcraft and Turnbo - offered devotions to Wakonda in this eerie, emotional, overwrought way. The sound must have floated far up Swan Creek and out over the White River Valley (now the upper stretch of Bull Shoals Lake). And it must have been even more eerie up at the main village of the Big Osage near present-Day Nevada, when everyone emoted at prayer time. The Osage warriors also went through elaborate rituals in preparation for war. If some little something went wrong in their lives during such rituals - perhaps someone had a weird dream - the deadly mission would be called off. If the White River had risen at present day Forsyth, and the Osage had wanted to move south, they would have appealed mightily to water animals who the Osage knew were fearless in their environment - otters, beavers, turtles, etc. They probably prepared for crossing the stream with horses, although in the very early days they probably would have prepared for crossing in bull boats, round, hide-over-frame constructions. However, the Osage wouldn't have plunged in for a dangerous crossing until having given proper prayers and gone through rituals for protection. Thanks much to Bailey's "The Osage and the Invisible World" and Ingenthron's "Indians of the Ozarks Plateau," for much insight. (more later on Osage religion). This section was copied here to our web site, Oct. 25th, 2005). - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The Land of the Osage, Part 6 Most folks around the world, when they think of Native Americans, visualize warriors with feather head dresses chasing stagecoaches and fighting the cavalry. These things did happen at times, but the true picture is very complex. Each one of the tribes of North America had - and still have in many cases - very rich cultures. These wonderful cultures that go back into the distant mists of time are a great heritage for all of us. And of all the tribes here in North America, the mighty Osage, who once ruled the "Branson area," are one of the most interesting - and especially their religion that permeated every bit of their culture. I believe that every student should study the Osage. How great to learn things as the Osage were ahead of the ancient Egyptians in theology. The highest point of Egyptian religion (in my personal opinion) was during the rebellious reign of Akenaten and Nefertiti who left Thebes - the religious center - and went to Amarna, and there, worshiped one god. However, that one god was not Yahweh of the Jews, but the Sun god "Aten." Yahweh, of course, created the sun. The Egyptians didn't quite get it. The Osage, on the other hand, as the Jews and many Native American tribes, believed in one all powerful, all encompassing, invisible, "spiritual" God. Worshipping the Sun as all powerful would have been breaking the 1st Commandment of the Jews...and also going against the beliefs of the Osage...who were so devoted to Wakonda. And, according to Bailey's illustration, material things were considered "reflections" of Wakonda. This type of thinking is highly advanced theology. The Osage priests were great thinkers, philosophers and theologians. Bailey also points out that there were some religious leaders and others of the Osage who were more involved with the material world than others, as today in our own society. However, some priests and others still knew that there was something beyond that was more important. Wakonda was "The causer of our being." And, "No living being has seen Him; no living man ever will." (Bailey). Again, sounds like something right out of the Scriptures. Of course, one wonders...could the Osage of early historical times have picked up Scriptural diffusion from the whites? On the other hand, if they didn't, then, we are getting into "parallel development" or "simultaneous development" as the anthropologists call it. The Osage concept of the cosmos is fascinating to study. This shows how religion was involved in the layout of their villages and affected their lives. Viewed in Bailey's illustration, sky is the upper part...and associated with the sky is the male, right and the number six. Below is the Earth, which is associated with water and land...also female, left and the number seven. Their villages were laid out on this grand plan.."flat." The Sky section would be to the north. And right through the center was a line running from east to west. This was the path of the sun. This plan also shows the division of the village in two parts that anthropologists call "moieties" (a French term). This interesting feature is also found in tribes in South America. The village was thus divided in two parts. And moieties further had all the clans divided into phratries. Another division involved east and west: East is associated with the Sun, life, color red, male and birth. Whereas the west is associated with destruction, death, night, moon, black and female (thanks to Bailey's chart). Every day at sunrise the mother would paint a red line down the part of the daughter's hair, signifying the path of the Sun - connected with that east/west line through the village (the Chapmans and Bailey). Fanning out from this red line were invisible lines going to animals necessary for survival. All of this ritual and much more was important for preparing the young girl for being a mother. And, the moiety comes into play again. Men and women had to marry in the opposite moiety (Bailey). The Osage had two chiefs. Both lodges were in the center with the "Sky Chief's" lodge just over the main line on his side...and the "Earth Chief's lodge was just over the line on his side. Again, thanks to Bailey and above all La Flesche, many of who's writings appeared in old Bureau of Ethnology Reports published by the Smithsonian Institute. By the way, the ancient Romans also had two chiefs...or "Consuls." Both had very detailed duties, but it would be interesting to do some more research on their various duties. I haven't even scratched the surface of Osage religion. The Osage religious structure goes on and on through birth, death, war, peace, marriage, hunting, much discussion by elders, priests and other important members of the tribe...all involving much ritual and deep thinking, all carefully designed to help the tribe survive. They were truly survivalists...hard to beat...but laid low by microbes of the whites...bad treaties and then just being overwhelmed by another culture. But, concerning the Osage religion, Bailey points out just how amazed observers have been when they learned how religious the Osage were. It's truly remarkable. Bailey also tells how complicated research became when he was analyzing La Flesche's writings. (More later on the Osage). - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The Land of the Osage, Part 7 It was an adventurous time here in Missouri when the first white men - the French explorers and traders - made contact with the Osage. It was a very good thing for the French that the Osage were friendly, good natured and considerate. Bailey related what an early missionary said of the Osage. "They engaged in war, but were not warlike." They were basically peaceful, but had to fight in a war culture - the most vicious cycle of all - which is to get attacked and then retaliate...and on and on. Sound familiar today? The Osage had to keep fighting for survival. They were just like Americans today in our present global war culture. Americans don't like war, but have always had to keep at it to preserve freedom and the American way. Unfortunately, there are always hyper-aggressives around to aggravate peaceful people - to fuel the war culture. Someone always wants to knock off the big guy and be king of the hill. The Osage were definitely the big guys. So, throw in jealousy and ego and "tradition dieing hard" (as sociologists say)...so, the cycle goes on! Now, having told about the peaceful nature of the Osage, I have to tell you there were a few exceptions. There were some reports in later years (around 1819 -1820) during the white movement west, of pioneers being attacked. Also some Osage under Chief Claremont attacked some Cherokees, Shawnees, Delaware and Pinkashaws (Ingenthron's Land of Taney). But, you have to factor in that the mighty Osage were being more and more humiliated and losing more and more of their domain. The Great White Father just gave their land to other native Americans - total strangers from out east. What if we had our beloved property today just given away to some stranger by the government? This comes close with emminent domain. All powerful big brother is still at work. However, I believe that the Osage were unusually good natured during most of their rule of the Ozarks. They would make sure that visitors had plenty to eat (Bailey) and even desired to learn in a scholarly way about the white man. They wanted to learn about the missionaries (Kiosk information panel at Big Osage site). There is an old rule in the military that the strongest are the most gentle and this applied, at least in their early days and for most of their reign in Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma and Arkansas, to the Osage until they were pushed into one corner after another and suffered one indignity after the other. The Osage were strong, dominant and on top of the world as we are right now, but they began to be hit with unforseen catastrophes. The whites brought with them a toxic culture - small pox, measles and other illnesses, not to mention totally different ways of doing things. It was a loud cultural clash with one symbol larger than the other. Then, when the Osage were weakened and with numbers dwindling, the overpowering whites pushed for lop-sided treaties. It was a sad time in American history. One famous treaty was signed at Fort Osage near present-day Kansas City, Missouri. Therein the Osage ceded everything to the east of a line straight down from Fort Osage to the Arkansas River. The Osage did, however, still believe that they had hunting rights and did, in fact, return on hunts. Eventually, the Osage had to move to a reservation in Kansas, and, finally, they moved to another reservation in Oklahoma. Then, an amazing thing happened. Who of all the dominating white people would have ever thought - oil was discovered in the Osage Nation! How sweet it was. The crude gushed in. The famed Osage Dome is still producing. My Grandfather Mac Miller came down from Kirksville, Mo. and set up a title company right in the midst of everything. He treated the Osage fair and square, and the old family story goes that a client gave him a fancy car. I just read that Phillips 66, Conoco 76 are going to build two nice museums, one at Ponca City, home of a famous refinery, and another museum at Bartlesville. These museums will show some great history, and will be dedicated in 2007 to tie in with the local centennial. There is a lot known about the old Osage, but there is still much to be learned. Archaeology can help a lot. As mentioned earlier, the Chapmans believed that the Osage just might have had some connections with the Neosho Focus here in southwest Missouri and also the Oneota. We find some small points here in the Branson area with the Neosho Focus connection. Dad and I found some little bird points (not necessarily used for birds) in a field that is now the McGee Addition in Hollister. Some of these points are of the Neosho Focus. Also, archaeologists have found Mississippi Culture evidence, small triangular points - some notched - and also pottery with red slips and shell temper. Old Mizzou classmate and excavation friend, Bob Bray found a perfect "fish bowl" shaped red pot in the field that is a stone's throw up from giant Table Rock Dam. Dick Marshall and I had been excavating a rock shelter a little ways up from the mouth of Long Creek, and one day we went over to visit Bob excavating away with giant earth-moving "Ukes" whizzing all around us going full blast and kicking up giant clouds of dust. It was one of the most nerve-wracking excavations I have ever encountered. There was much loud noise, and the dust was so great it hid Bob at times. A big UKE could have gone right over him any second! But Bob was a true dedicated archaeologist - working away on a little campfire area. He proudly held up this beautiful little red pot for us to see. We handled it very gingerly, and nervously suggested in so many words "hadn't you better get out of here pretty quick!" But, he wasn't quite ready. Dick and I left him working away and returned choking on dust to our own excavation glad to get out of there. Most of the priceless evidence of antiquity has come very hard. Bob's little site - and ours too - is now under more than 200 feet of water. Tourists look out over the beautiful Lake Table Rock from the Dewey Short Center right at the Dam and probably have no idea of the difficult excavation work that went on there...and on many other sites in the basin - not to mention all the surface survey work scouting for evidence...battling poison ivy, climbing bluffs in summer, encountering critters and many other obstacles. One reason the Mississippi Culture is so important is that as mentioned earlier the Osage have an old religious connection with this culture. Lots of jig-saw puzzle pieces here yet to be worked out completely. If you like working puzzles you will like archaeology. As we look out over our area here in Branson country we are reminded that the Osage hunters would come down from their home village (near Nevada, Missouri) to nearby Galena - one of their trails - and then veer over to the Swan Creek area at present day Forsyth. The Osage liked to camp along Swan Creek. (Schoolcraft). No doubt they would then fan out through the entire area. There are probably camps hereabouts that have yet to be discovered. One of the fascinating things about studying the Osage is that we can learn much today from this culture. We are riding high today as did the Osage. I don't want to be a prophet of gloom, but on the other hand, we would be stupid not to prepare for contingencies and fine tune our own culture. (This segment entered on the web site, Nov. 3, 2005) (To be continued). RM - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The Land of the Osage, Part 8 Before concluding this series (there will be one other after this one) I wanted to leave you with one last picture of the Osage The following is a little story that brings a small group of Osage hunters, their wives, children and a priest back to visit the land that they once ruled, which includes the present day Branson, Missouri area. It was truly a memorable day in town when this group of Osage native Americans suddenly appeared walking down the sidewalk. The tourists and locals were thunderstruck. Jaws dropped and eyes bulged. There were gasps and even some screams and one fainting. Several tourist kids ran for their lives. The traffic suddenly came to a screeching stop with several cars jumping curbs. Horns blared. Police came running and were equally astounded. They hardly knew what to do it was so chaotic. The Osage were truly a sight to behold. They were all very tall, some of the women six-feet tall and some of the men over six-feet-tall; and even a few were seven-feet-tall. They all had odd, almost grotesque looking heads. It was the custom of the Osage that Mothers bound the heads of all babies firmly to a board. This flattened the back of the head, rounded the frontal areas and scrooched the head up into an odd, rounded, bullet like shape. The Osage considered this deformity to actually be very handsome. The Osage men, as many native American men, were the peacocks, and the women the plain Janes. The hair of the men's head was shaved or plucked to leave only a "Mohawk" type ridge, which commenced farther back than most Mohawks. On top of this ridge of hair they wore a tuft of red animal hair. Dangling from this tuft were several eagle feathers. Also dangling from an area high on the side of the head was a long lock of hair in the fashion of old Hebrew males. In this case it was a finely braided scalp lock. If these hunters had been on the warpath, they would wear the head of a hawk kept in place by a head strap. Warriors dearly admired the hawk that darted in swiftly and fearlessly for the kill. Each hunter had a quiver of arrows slung on his back and also an unstrung bow with recurved ends. These bows were made of a beautiful orange colored wood: "Osage Orange" or "Bois d'arc" or "hedge" as called by some. The hunters wore breech clouts and leather leggings and moccasins. They also wore necklaces of bear claws. The one priest had tattoos covering all of his breast and also had painted markings on his face. The married women all had the tattoo of a spider on the back of their hand. The women wore their nicest, long, white buckskin dresses. This buckskin was a beautiful, soft leather that had required long hours to prepare. About their necks were necklaces of shell and bone. Children were well mannered. In the woods or at camp a noisy child would send an unwanted signal to the enemy and the group might be attacked and killed. There was a chief in the group - the chief of the Sky Moiety, however, the Priest outranked him and was the main spokeman. The Priest immediately made it known to some police and others that the group wanted to visit with the village chief and his council at his lodge. Sign language finally got through. They were directed to the City Hall not far away. Here they waited patiently for the town council, which happened to be meeting that very evening. You can imagine the surprise of the mayor and councilmen, secretary, city attorney and some others to find the Osage sitting in their chairs on the platform. A professor of anthropology from the nearby college who knew a little Osage was quickly summoned to translate. The Mayor politely directed the Osage to take their proper seats in the audience, however, the Osage priest just as politely informed him that since this was the domain of the mighty Osage given to their people by none other than Wakonda, the Great Spirit, ages ago and this land they ruled was a vast land - from the Mississippi to deep in the Plains and from the Missouri to the Arkansas - that they, the Osage, were unquestionably in their proper places of leadership. And, of course, it was proper for any visitors or subservients (the Mayor and Council and their staff) to be treated with great respect - especially the chiefs - and their voices could be heard too, so it was alright for them to stay. Some folding chairs were finally brought on stage in the back for them. The Mayor whispered to the Chief of Police "Can't you stun gun them or something?" And, the Police Chief replied, "Not if you don't want all of us to look like pin cushions!" Finally, the Mayor decided to humor them to keep from getting tons of unwanted publicity in a tourist area. First, the Priest went through a lengthy ceremony, including a song of the chiefs. there was sprinkling of red ochre about and a medicine bundle containing many sacred items was placed in front of the highest ranking Osage Chief. Next, the priest passed around a peace pipe and all took a puff. He made much of the smoke that went up to the realm of Wakonda. Some of the councilmen and women hacked, coughed and got sick. After preliminaries the Osage immediately got down to business. They first wanted to know if all the men of the households in this big city off-shoot group, the hunters/warriors, were being given their fair share of the game and all families were properly cared for? They made it clear that all lodges must have plenty of food. They then wanted to know if women were being respected in all lodges and by the leaders? They also wanted to know if all the animals and plants - each a creation of Wakonda and precious - were being given proper respect. They emphasized that Wakonda would not like it if they took too much and were greedy and destructive. They wanted also to make sure that all visitors to the area were given the utmost in hospitality. Then, above all they wanted to make sure that Wakonda was being given the utmost respect in all tribal matters with lots of prayers? At which point all the Osage turned to the east and began to wail and moan very loudly with tears coming down their faces it being time for their third such devotion of the day. The City Council was totally worn out and dismayed at this point and happy when the meeting was finally adjorned with much friendliness displayed by the Osage. The poor City Attorney had to be led away mumbling incoherent legalities and something about they didn't teach this sort of thing at law school. The Osage then camped down by the lake that evening and early the next morning struck out for one of their favorite camping and hunting areas, Swan Creek at Forsyth. They vanished in that pretty land as quickly as they came. (entered on the web site, Nov. 3, 2005) (to be continued) RM - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The Land of the Osage, Part 9 Writing these columns on the Osage Native Americans who ruled the Branson area and the entire Ozarks and more, 200 years ago, has been an adventure. The project commenced with only two or three columns in mind! I have learned much and still have a long way to go. As anyone else, the Osage had fears as noted by Bailey. But where they had an edge on life I believe is that they turned to their religion to handle fear - the bugaboo of all mankind. their religion gave them confidence. Confident is a good word to describe the Osage. Of course, after being battered by white disease and culture, the confidence took a beating. I wish them well today. They've got a great old culture, and there is much to be learned by all of us, and I am sure it will help all society greatly. Also, an interesting point about the Osage noted by Bailey and probably La Flesche earlier is that the Osage priests were intellectuals. These scholar priests (more powerful than chiefs) carefully studied natural life around them and the cosmos with the goal of learning more and thus helping their people survive in a tough world. It's amazing how advanced they were. They also actually wanted to learn about the white man's religion and were happy to see the white missionaries arrive...at first...but I don't think so much later. It's interesting, today we have the Ozarks religion back in the hills that probably looks primitive to many newcomers. But, I can assure you that it is highly complex and developed over hundreds of years and became a strong part of Ozarks culture. In fact, you can still find much old Ozarks culture in these churches. This religion is very useful today and deserves much study and needs to be saved. It's a national treasure. But the white glacier even today continues to grind away, and not just here in the US. It's a culture grinder! I kept thinking all along of the late Dr. Carl Chapman and his artist wife Eleanor. They were killed in an auto accident in Florida. I got to know them very well. Carl required us students to take turns saying the blessing at all of our meals out in the boondocks. With this religious approach I believe it was good that he was the one doing the excavating at the Brown Site at the Big Osage site. Carl was teacher of several of my classes and my dig director of many excavations and surface surveys; I have forgotten how many times we were out trying to save Missouri's fabulous story of antiquity. We were always hard pressed for time and present archaeologists still are. That white glacier is constantly grinding and covering the topography. And as Carl illustrated in class, "you can't put Humpty Dumpty back together again once he has fallen from the wall." Once the ancient site is obliterated and covered by "civilization" the old story is lost forever. And we are losing much every day. Cities with much construction need to form tough watch dog committees such as Pensacola, Florida and control things. Check with Pensacola for ideas. There needs to be more funds for research. The state of Missouri only has a small archaeological department at Jefferson City. Only one state archaeologist was able to do a few test excavations on the big Branson Lake Front development project. A large crew was needed. I hate to think how much of the area's priceless, ancient story was lost. Now there is a big concrete building project going up. There is a law alloting one precent for projects involving any federal money, but that often just hits the high spots. Incidentally, Chapman of the University of Missouri and McGimsey of Arkansas went to Washington and testified for that law. - - - - - - - The following books have been very helpful: Garrick A. Bailey's The Osage and the Invisible World From the Works of Francis La Flesche. Ingenthron's Indians of the Ozarks Plateau and Land of Taney. Elting and Folsom's The Mysterious Grain. Information panels in the kiosks at the site of the main Big Osage Village near Nevada were very helpful. If you should visit this site be sure and take along some insect repellent. there are many pesky little flies the locals call "See'ems." They are so fast that they dart in and zap you before you can "See'em." Thanks to the DNR official at the booth at the recent Ozarks Empire Fair, in Springfield, for identifying these critters for me. Much of the original La Flesche work on the Osage appeared in old Smithsonian Bureau of Ethnology Reports. I'm trying to track down some of these; research on this project goes on. Also, there's new material out, and am on the track of that also. It's like plowing an Ozark field; rocks just keep appearing. It's endless! But fun to discover new things. Again, the site on top of the Big Osage village hill, is called "the Brown Site" in case you care to research site reports (two lodges were excavated). This site was excavated a couple of times by Chapman, who, by the way, did his Ph.D dissertation on the Osage. I had earlier mentioned hearing the eerie sounds of an owl hooting in the woods on the edge of the top of the Big Osage village site. At the time I was in the upper kiosk; no one else was around. Then, I read in Bailey that the old Osage had a custom that if a warrior was killed in battle, he was placed in a sitting position. As the sun went by overhead he might have been found courageous and acceptable...but if not, his spirit entered an owl on earth. Also, I read somewhere that there was an owl connection with "the little old wise men of the Osage." Now, I try to be a scientific anthropologist/archaeologist but, nevertheless, wonder about maybe some old Osage spirits trying to convey something to a writer-researcher....maybe something like, "be sure and get our Osage story out to people. It's very important. Don't forget us".....Hmmmnnn! So, who am I to argue with an old Osage owl spirit??|!! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - (This last segment was entered on the web Nov. 3, 2005) For those reading this as a printed version and want to read it on the web site, see: www.worldarchaeologicalsociety.com - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -