The Osage Nation is a federally recognized Native American nation whose people call themselves Wahzhazhe. The Osage are part of the Dhegiha branch of the Siouan peoples and trace their earlier homelands to the Ohio and Mississippi River regions. Over time, they moved west into Missouri and Kansas, where they became one of the most powerful Native nations of the central United States. During the 1800s, pressure from American settlement and treaties forced the Osage to give up much of their land. In the early 1870s, they purchased a reservation in Indian Territory that became present-day Osage County, Oklahoma. The discovery of large oil reserves beneath their land later brought great wealth but also led to the terrible period of murders and exploitation known as the Osage Reign of Terror. Today, the Osage Nation is headquartered in Pawhuska and maintains its own government, programs, businesses, and language-preservation efforts.
Three interesting facts:
The Osage reservation is located within present-day Osage County, the largest county by area in Oklahoma.
Osage citizens served as code talkers during World War II, using their language to help protect military communications.
The Osage developed their own writing system, the Osage orthography/script, which is now used in language education and publications.
What is the tribe's most recent population census?
There are two useful ways to describe Osage population: tribal citizenship and the U.S. Census. For the most current picture of the Nation itself, Osage Nation membership exceeded 26,000 citizens in 2025. This is a major increase from fewer than 10,000 citizens in 2007, according to the Nation's 2026–2030 Strategic Plan. Census figures can differ from tribal enrollment because the U.S. Census counts people who identify themselves as Osage, including people who may identify with more than one race or tribal group, while the Nation's citizenship figure counts officially enrolled citizens. For describing the present size of the Osage Nation, more than 26,000 enrolled citizens is therefore the most useful recent figure.
What is the language spoken by the tribe?
The traditional language of the Osage Nation is Osage, called Wahzhazhe ie (Osage language). It belongs to the Dhegiha branch of the Siouan language family and is closely related historically to the languages of the Kaw, Omaha, Ponca, and Quapaw peoples. The language declined greatly during the twentieth century as English became dominant, but it is now being actively taught again. A major development has been the creation and use of a distinct Osage writing system, allowing the language to be written with characters designed specifically for Osage sounds. The Nation now publishes books and educational materials in Osage, and a major introductory grammar textbook, Osage Language and Lifeways, was published in 2025.
Is there a language revitalization program in the tribe?
The Osage Nation Language Department (ONLD) was established in 2003 specifically to revitalize the Osage language and teach people to use it in everyday conversation. The Nation has offered free children's, beginner, intermediate, advanced, orthography, reading, and writing classes, both in person and virtually. The department also produces children's books and other materials in Osage and provides English-to-Osage translation assistance. Language revitalization remains one of the Nation's long-term priorities. One recent change should be noted: in August 2026 the Nation closed its Daposka Ahnkodapi language-immersion school during a financial emergency. That affects one important immersion program, although it does not erase the Nation's broader language-revitalization work.
Does the tribe have any Christian history?
Protestant Christianity among the Osage can be traced to organized missionary work in the early 1800s. In 1820, the United Foreign Missionary Society established the Union Mission in present-day northeastern Oklahoma to minister among the Osage and neighboring Native peoples. Missionaries Epaphroditus Chapman and Job Vinall were among the early workers connected with the mission, which provided Christian preaching, education, and instruction in the Bible. A second important effort was Harmony Mission, established in 1821 in present-day Missouri under missionary Nathaniel B. Dodge and others to serve the Osage. Protestant missionaries learned the Osage language so Christian teaching and Scripture could be communicated more clearly. During the 1830s, missionaries William B. Montgomery and William C. Requa helped prepare The Osage First Book (1834), an important early Osage-language publication containing selections from Genesis, Exodus, Proverbs, Isaiah, and the four Gospels. Later, Baptist missionaries and Osage Christian leaders helped establish a lasting Protestant presence, including Osage Baptist congregations in Oklahoma. Over time, Osage Christians themselves became pastors, teachers, church leaders, and gospel workers, helping Christianity move from an outside missionary effort toward churches led and sustained by Osage believers.
Is there a Bible in the language of the tribe?
There is not a known complete Bible in the Osage language, but there is a very important collection of translated Scripture. In 1834, Washashe Wageress Pahvgreh Tse, commonly called The Osage First Book, was published in Boston for the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions. It was prepared by William B. Montgomery and William Comb Requa and is recognized by library catalogs as Bible. Osage. Selections. Of its 126 pages, approximately pages 25–126 contain “Selections from the Scriptures.” These include material from Proverbs, Genesis, Exodus, Isaiah, and the four Gospels, making it one of the earliest major written records of both the Osage language and Christian Scripture in Osage. The Osage Nation Language Department continues to preserve The Osage First Book as an important historical language resource.
Are there any Bible translation efforts in the tribe?
Historically, yes, but evidence for a current full-Bible translation project is limited. The most important documented translation effort remains the 1834 Osage First Book, which placed portions of both the Old and New Testaments into Osage. The translated material included Genesis, Proverbs, the Ten Commandments, Isaiah, and selections from all four Gospels. Another significant example appeared in 1877, when Osage interpreter William Connor produced an Osage translation of the Lord's Prayer. In modern times, some older Scripture texts have been transcribed into newer Osage orthography; for example, the 1834 translation of John 3:16 has been represented using modern Osage writing. The Osage Nation Language Department also provides modern translation services, but I could not verify a presently active project to translate the entire Old and New Testaments into modern Osage.
Are there any gospel hymns in the tribe's language?
There is evidence that Christian hymns and songs have been sung in the Osage language, although surviving documentation is much more limited than for some other Oklahoma tribal languages. One particularly valuable example is an “Osage Song of Healing,” identified as a church hymn sung at Osage Indian Baptist Church. A publicly preserved recording explains that words for the song were drawn from early Osage Christian-language material associated with The Osage First Book. This is significant because it demonstrates that Osage-language Christianity was expressed not only through translated Scripture and prayer but also through congregational song.
