Osage Cultural Center

Culture has an impact both large and small. On a large scale it affects our understanding of humanity’s history as whole. On a smaller scale it impacts

each individual, as one discovers his position in the narrative of life and to others around him. Each culture is a reflection of the people that form it and the landscape on which it was formed. The people and their land are both vital to an overall understanding of a society.

In the case of the Osage, the things that have shaped their civilization (prosperity, famine, war, peace, etc…) are still important aspects of their people’s culture. Fortunately, the Osage realize the value of their cultural past. Even further understanding of the Osage’s past society gives an opportunity to expound on it in the future.

A cultural center ensures knowledge of the Osage’s history and encourages the continued evolution of their culture. This will provide future generations with a firm standing so they too might flourish.

Unlike many Native American tribes currently in Oklahoma, the Osage have always had a presence in northeastern Oklahoma. 1 Their organic

development in this state has integrated the Osage into the culture of Oklahoma itself. Now the contemporary Osage are in a unique position to understand their past and influence their future.

The Osage are a theistic society. Professor of Philosophy, Dr. Stephen D. Schwarz has said “Theism, the belief that God is, and atheism, the belief that God is not are not simply two beliefs… they are two fundamental ways of seeing the whole of existence. The one, theism, sees existence as ultimately meaningful, as having a meaning beyond itself; the other sees existence as having no meaning beyond itself.” 2 This certainly holds true for the Osage. They believed humans were given the ability for creative thought and reason from the Wa-kan’-da, a mysterious invisible life force. This trait elevated them

from the surrounding creation. Moreover, every living thing was created for a specific purpose. The belief that everything had been created for a special and valuable function impacts every part of the Osage life: government, war policy, hunting traditions, marriage rites, laws, philosophy, and ethics.

Contemporary Osage are a fiercely traditional people. They emphasize the fact that their traditions are a “respectful memorial to [their] past” 3 while still maintaining a strong presence in the present. It is important to them to honor the mores of their ancestors through word, song, and dance. The Osage are also active in the greater community of Oklahoma and the USA as well. To date, their people have permanently impacted ballet worldwide, been honored in the U.S.A.F., and are currently serving as Senator. 4

1 Gilbert C. Din and A.P. Nasatir, The Imperial Osages (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1983), 3.2 Roy Abraham Varghese, The Intellectuals Speak Out About God (Dallas, TX: Lewis and Stanley, 1984), 98.

3“Osage Nation Culture Overview,” Osage Nation, accessed Nov 2, 2011, http://www.osagetribe.com/main_culture_overview.aspx

4 Benny Polacca, “Osage in Oklahoma City Elected State Senator of District 30,” Osage News, August 27, 2010, accessed 11-2-2011, http://www.osagenews.org/article/osage-oklahoma-city-elected-state-senator-district-30

PEOPLE

The location for the new Osage Cultural Center is in NE Oklahoma. It is a heavily wooded area, with a lake and a creek. The overall feeling of the site is very intimate due to the tree cover creating a canopy. This is very important in creating the contemplative environment necessary for a place of reflection.

The terrain is varied and mainly consists of rocky soil. Though this is traditionally Osage land from long time past, this was not their preferred dwelling place. The majority of their people dwelt in southern Kansas and Missouri. The Osage flourished here after a series of treaties relegated them to this portion of land.

The land proved to be rich in oil and became a source of profit. As towns sprang up the Osage fully adopted this area and modern Osage are proud to return here.

PLACE

While observing the site, there was an overwhelming feeling of being held by the landscape. In response to that human feeling and to the environmental benefits provided, the elements of the master plan are structured on the site in the safe, sheltered valley’s the terrain provided.

Lift this page to view the full site map.

The Osage Cultural Center calls for spaces to experience the Osage past, their present, and their land. These things are best represented in a larger landscape. The Osage have designated the following spaces to realize this: Exterior experiences: Notable entry Parking and service space Cultural Monument Amphitheater Outdoor Cultural Experience Structured Landscape Interior experiences: Cultural Center Research and Arts Center Housing for researchers and resident artists Maintenance The majority of these spaces call for a contemplative scene. This has been achieved by removing the patrons from the rush of every day life.

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Upon entering the Osage Cultural Center, visitors continue south, to the Cultural Center, where they can begin their journey with the Osage Cultural Center. Along the way visitors will experience the landscape and how the Osage history all began. Visitors will have a better understanding of the Osage through this step stimulating experience through the Osage Cultural Center Other users will turn of onto the North region of the Osage Center towards the Osage Research Center. The Osage Research Center houses visiting artists, artisans and scholars that provide services for them to study their research.

The Osage Memorial is where visitors will begin their journey. This Memorial reflects the beginning of the Osage people and how they be-came into being. Visitors will first begin where the Osage began, the Upper Worlds. Only minds and souls occupied the Upper Worlds. The souls started to become confused and want-ing more than a soul, they wanted a body. So visitors will descend into the woods and experience a waving path. The souls began searching for help, so they received a body and we’re sent to earth by the Great Eagle. Yet earth was only covered in water so visitors will be engulfed in an area occupied by a foun-tain. This fountain will represents the ocean which the bodies were stranded on. Soon after, the “Great Name Giver” sent the “Great Elk”, where he provided land, wind, animals and life. As visitors leave the fountain they continue into a storied path that will lead them into a higher state of mind above the foun-tain. Here is where they Osage began. These new bodies explored the land and met the Osage and thus began the two tribes, The “Sky People” and the “Earth People”. Visitors will then continue their experience by entering the main Osage Cultural Center.

The Cultural Center is the main attraction for the visitors. Here they will walk around and experience the history of the Osage through galleries and exhibits comprising of many tools, artifacts, cloth-ing and many more. Visitors will be able to extend their knowl-edge of the Osage and interact with people who research and study the Osage at the Osage Research Center. Af-ter visitors leave the Cultural Center, they will continue outside through the Osage landscape.

As the visitors leave the Cultural Center, they will be presented with two paths to follow. Both are able to loop around but the main path would be to the Outdoor Cultural Experience. This experience will provide visitors a pulsating experience of how the Osage use to live. They will be able to see the “Wig-Woms” and how they were set up by actual Osage Indians. As they continue, visitors will experience the ways of life the Osage. They can see how they farmed and made tools as well as walking through the landscape and how they survived weather conditions through clothing and hunting. The Outdoor Experience provides the visitor to walk and see how they hunted and prepared their food. War is also a great aspect of the Osage, visitors will see how the war lifestyle affected the Osage Indians lives. Towards the end, visitors loop back around and continue their path onto the next Osage experience.

To the north of the Cultural Center and the Outdoor experience, visitors will be provided with an amphitheater that accommodated activities and performances of the Osage Indians. Here, parents and children can interact with each other through these activities or sit down and watch a performance of the Osage lifestyle. When visitors performance is over, they can leave through the back and heads towards the View Pavilion on the upper north ridge or loop back towards the Cultural Center. The Pavilion can be accessed from any of the other functions of the Osage Cultural Center.

The pavilion represents the cen-ter, focus point, of the Osage Cultural Center. Here visitors will end their journey and step back and loom out onto the landscape of the Osage. The Pa-vilion provides beautiful views that overlooks the entire land-scape and see “Lookout Lake”, the Research Center and the Cultural Center. Guests can stop and rest here and take in their entire journey of the Osage his-tory. Here they can sit and relax and think back about the experi-ence the Osage Cultural Center provided for them. They will be able to look back and know how the Osage lived and survived in the past hundred Years.

The Research Center is located on the upper north of the Osage Cultural Cen-ter. It will provide views for the scholars toward Lookout Lake. Here, the Research Center focuses on the uses of researchers, scholars and artists. It will provide an atmosphere that scholars will be able to read, work on their studies. The Osage Center will also provide housing for the artists and scholars to stay overnight on the weekends. As the Research Center is located north of the rest of the Cultural Center, artists and scholars are provided with a path that leads to the Cultural Center’s functions. They can walk through the woods and start their jour-ney at the highest point, the View Pavilion.

The Osage Cultural Center will draw both the Osage and their neighbors into a place where the experience of the Osage’s past, their present, and their future will enlighten and further this culture. It will provide another point in history to come back to, and will give forward to future generations seeking to experience the spirit of the Osage.

RESOLUTION