Before the Osage made contact with Europeans, they were known as Ni-U-Kon-Ska, which means “Children of the Middle Waters.”
The Osage moved into the area that would become Missouri sometime before the mid 17th Century. The earliest known Osage Villages in the state date to around 1650 and were located in Vernon County.
In the 18th century, French traders lured a portion of the Little Osage to establish villages near the Missouri River in present-day Saline County. Later, a portion of the Big Osage relocated from Southwest Missouri to the Arkansas River.
1808 Osage Treaty
In the 1808 treaty the Osage were promised a trading post, and a annual annuity payment of $1,500. In return the Osage had to ceded most all of their land from the Missouri River to the Arkansas River.
Osage Villages
The Osage lived most of the year in villages organized by clans. The Osage lived in various types of houses depending on their needs. Most of their houses were small round or oval structures of varying diameters from 15 to 45 feet. For theses wigwam style houses, the Osage built frames of bent poles and covered them with bark, woven mats, or hides. For larger rectangular buildings (some as long as 100 feet) they used gabled roof construction.
The Osage Today
Today the Osage live on their reservation in Northern Oklahoma. Previously the Chief was chosen by a tribal council. Today however, the Chief is elected by all tribal members. The Osage have a valuable natural resource on their reservation that has helped them financially over the years. In 1894, large amounts of oil were discovered under the reservation. The Osage also take great pride in preserving their culture.