Officials discuss sovereignty on 19th anniversary of reformed government

Written By: Benny Polacca

(OSAGE RESERVATION) Leading officials from the Osage Nation voiced their thoughts on sovereignty here as the Nation enters its 19th year as a constitutional form of government and as the federal government undergoes changes and downsizing following the reelection of President Trump in January. 

Read this story on Osage News here. 

Officials from the Nation’s three government branches, including those who sit on the Nation’s various boards and commissions gathered on March 8 at the Tulsa Osage Hotel & Casino for a first-of-its-kind leadership assembly themed “Strengthening Sovereignty.” The gathering took place hours before Osages, their families and fellow Indigenous people and allies attended the 2025 Sovereignty Day Celebration Dance in the casino’s Skyline Event Center.

Russ Tall Chief of Wahzhazhe Communications welcomed the invited officials to the luncheon event featuring the annual State of the Nation address by Principal Chief Geoffrey Standing Bear as well as remarks by current leaders in the respective legislative and judicial branches and the Osage Minerals Council. “This gathering unites elected and appointed officials of the Osage Nation who are also united by a common oath: Each one of you committed to carrying out the responsibilities of your office to the best of your ability, freely acknowledging that the powers of your office flow from the Wahzhazhe people and Wakondah.”

9th Osage Nation Congress

Congressional Speaker Pam Shaw addressed the officials, stating, “when I say ‘we are a sovereign nation, we are sovereign.’ I feel powerful because I know, we all know what it took for us to get here and maintain that sovereignty – It’s a fight. I’m not being overdramatic, it’s a fight every single day.”

“Recently in (March) special session, (the Ninth ON Congress) heard 10 pieces of legislation and one of them being ONCR 25-07 (sponsored by Congresswoman Maria Whitehorn) and this particular piece of legislation, I believe speaks directly to the topic we’re celebrating today, which is sovereignty.”

In wake of the federal government changes and downsizing efforts by the President Trump Administration in February resulting in the temporary dismissal of Bureau of Indian Affairs Osage Agency Superintendent Adam Trumbly and proposed closure of the BIA agency office in Pawhuska, Whitehorn filed ONCR 25-07, which is titled: “A resolution to denounce the United States Federal government’s disregard for the sovereign status of the Osage Nation as is evident by acting on inherent trust functions without consultation or notice.”

Following discussion, debate and amendments, the ON Congress passed ONCR 25-07 on March 5. Also after the assembly event, a federal judge’s ruling ordered the Trump Administration to rehire thousands of workers who were laid off as part of a purge of government employees who were on probation, including Trumbly. A former ON Assistant Attorney General, Trumbly returned to his BIA post one month after the attempted layoffs.

“I think that this statement (of ONCR 25-07) is a strong statement from the Congress, from the Osage Nation, it’s something that we can pass along to Chief as he is heading to (Washington) D.C. soon to continue the fight,” Shaw said. “This is a statement from the Congress we intend, we expect our government – the United States government – to fulfill their trust responsibilities. It’s required, we know that, but there is not a piece of anything inside me that says we’re going to not fight for what is due to the Osage Nation and all tribal nations.”

“At this point in time with everything that is going on with everything that could go on, everything that could happen to us when we talk about potential tribal funding, federal funds we rely upon, this is the time more than any other time that every single leader stands together in solidarity as one,” Shaw said.

Osage Minerals Council

OMC Chairman Myron Red Eagle said plans are in the works for a Washington, D.C. trip toward month’s end to meet with federal officials, including newly sworn-in Secretary of Interior and former North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum. He added, “a producer suggested that we meet with the EPA – the Environmental Protection Agency – that’s where all the regulations are … Going up there is a big step.”

As the mainstream media continues to report on the drastic changes and downsizing attempts proposed by the Trump initiative Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) led by businessman Elon Musk, tribal officials say they are monitoring the ongoing reductions, which also continue to prompt public outcries, protests and criticisms about potential harm to public services and job losses.

“I told the Council yesterday: ‘Elon Musk – he wants to go to Mars’ and some of them said ‘tell him to go ahead!’” Red Eagle said with a laugh. “Evidently, he has a lot of influence on the President.”

Also in his address, Red Eagle said he spoke recently with legal counsel on the ongoing wind farm case against Enel Green Power North America. “I asked our lawyer, ‘how long we got to go on this wind (farm) case? I know they’re running out of appeals so how much more do we have to go? He said (Enel) probably has one more appeal after this … And after that, it will be two years at least. They owe us a little money, something like damages around $260,000, we might get paid that, let’s keep our fingers crossed,” he said.

Judicial Branch

On behalf of the Judicial Branch, ON Supreme Court Chief Justice Meredith Drent spoke at the event, noting: “We’re 19 years into this 2006 Constitution – it is the longest we have governed ourselves under a constitution, so ‘Good Job, Us!’ I can personally and professionally attest that it has been challenging and it’s not going to get any easier … But we’re going to get better at it. We can handle the hard stuff because frankly we always have, right?”

“I think when it comes to the judiciary’s part in these conversations, it is just really important to know that this is not a new concept, that we’ve always had ways of resolving our disputes and what’s in the Constitution now is just another reflection of the universe around us and that’s always been our way … We look at what kind of order we can create from it and then we create that order for ourselves,” Drent said.

Drent described the Judicial Branch’s two courts, with the Trial Court being the first one to hear cases and any case decisions can be appealed and heard at the three-judge Supreme Court level, where she presides. “The Trial Court is where you hear these everyday issues that impact your lives, that’s where you hear criminal matters, guardianships, child support, protection orders, domestic violence – these are really important issues that impact our community.”

“If someone doesn’t like the result of their case, they can take it up to the Supreme Court, so that is also our role here is to help people review what happened at the Trial Court level if they hated their result and then the other part of it is we are empowered to resolve disputes between the (executive and legislative) branches, we’re probably a little more well known for that, for good or for bad, and we can take it,” Drent said, adding several years have passed since the court has heard an inter-branch dispute and “continuing to disagree with respect, continuing to disagree while looking forward I think is really important.”

History of Osage Sovereignty

Terry Mason Moore, a seasoned attorney and past court judge for other tribal nations, delivered a historical timeline presentation on Osage sovereignty. She referenced research works by past writers, the Nation’s Museum and Historic Preservation Office in her speaking time.

“Tribal sovereignty refers to the inherent right of tribes to govern their own territory and people,” Mason Moore said. “Tribal sovereignty, per the U.S. Supreme Court in Williams v. Lee case, is the right of tribes to make their own laws and be ruled by them. The exercise of sovereignty makes us powerful and it has carried us from Time Immemorial to this moment.”

Referring to the Nation’s 2006 Constitution, Moore said: “All political power is vested in and derived from the Osage People. All government of right originates with the Osage People, is founded upon their will only, and is instituted solely for the good of the whole. In 2022, at our sesquicentennial event, we celebrated Osage resilience and recognized major accomplishments that have sustained us as a Nation on this land.”

In closing

In closing the event, Tall Chief called on Eddy Red Eagle Jr., who served on the First ON Congress and now sits on the Nation’s Traditional Cultural Advisory committee. Red Eagle Jr. encouraged Osages to continue learning about the culture and language, noting future generations will have questions about where they come from.

“Because you are a practitioner, you’re not an elder, you’re a practitioner, I practice this and I practice it because I believe it, I believe there was a heavenly origin, I believe there was an anointment, I believe our ways are blessed – and Grandma did say that,” Red Eagle said. “Those are the things that now we need to see from your chair, you must guarantee this, you must ensure it happens. Because through the technology of today, these things I have mentioned … we’ve got buildings full of data, we’ve got recordings that must be compiled, that must be put in composition, put into the technology where your grandsons and granddaughters – when they ask that question, you can say ‘go to that institution – Osage Nation historical institution – tell them your name and push that button and let it flow, let it immerse them, let it cover them with all of these timelines that flow – that’s your job.”

Red Eagle Jr. then offered the closing prayer after his address to the government officials gathered that day.

For more information on Osage history and cultural resources, visit www.osageculture.com