Osage Ten Returns to Pawhuska

Pawhuska, Okla. – The Osage Tribal Museum, Library & Archives, the oldest tribally-owned museum in the country, commemorated the unveiling of the final Osage bust of THE OSAGE TEN on Saturday, April 28, 2012 at the Constantine Theatre in Pawhuska, Oklahoma. The creation of The Osage Ten began over 100 years ago in Pawhuska when molds and pictures were made of ten live models from the Osage Tribe and cast into full-size plaster busts by Smithsonian Institution’s Department of Natural History. The Smithsonian created this collection to be displayed at the California-Panama Canal Exposition in 1915-16 as part of “The Evolution of Man” exhibit. Millions of people from around the world attended the historical event.

During the past seven years, the Osage Tribal Museum has been collaborating with the Smithsonian in obtaining replicas of The Osage Ten to be permanently displayed at the museum. This exhibit collection brings to life again the Osage tribal members and, in a sense, brings them home to be honored and remembered of an era long ago.

Descendants of Albert Penn, the first replica bust to be unveiled in 2005, retrieved and donated their ancestors bust to the Osage Tribal Museum. The other busts that have been donated in the past six years are: Shun-kah-mo-lah (Charles McDougan), Wah-To-Ke-Ah (WilliamFletcher), Henry Pratt, Ah-Hu-Shin-Kah (Little Wing), Che-Sho-Wah-Ke-Pah (Fidelis Cole), Wa-Xthi-Zhi (Charles Wah-Hre-She), and Wah-Noh-She-Shin-Ki (Principal Chief Fred Lookout). The guardians who escorted the busts out were Joseph Tillman (Wah-hrah-lum-pah); Tim Lookout (Fred Lookout); Rebekah HorseChief (Charles Wah-hre-she); Fidelis Davis (Fidelis Cole); John Tallchief Lemon (Little Wing); Bill Fletcher (William Fletcher); Cameron Pratt (Henry Pratt); Mike McDougan (Charles McDougan); Joseph Pratt (Shun-kah-mo-lah), and Joe Don Brave (Albert Penn).

Among the distinguished guests were former Osage Principal Chief George Tallchief; former Osage Principal Chief Charles Tillman; former Osage Principal Chief James Gray; renowned Osage poet Carter Revard, Ph.D., who created a poem, especially for this occasion; David Hunt, Ph.D., of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.; and representatives from many American Indian tribes and nations, including Chief Pechonick.