The 2022 Osage Nation Sovereignty Day Celebration and Dance is scheduled for Saturday, March 19 in the Skyline Event Center at the Tulsa Osage Casino & Hotel.
After two consecutive years of cancelations due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Osage Nation announced the 2022 dance is returning amid decreases in reported positive cases statewide, as well as at the national levels. The last Sovereignty Day Dance took place in March 2019 at the Skyline Event Center as part of the Nation’s yearly commemoration of its reformed government approved by Osage voters in 2006.
“The celebration began as a response to the Osage Nation Constitution ratification on March 11, 2006,” according to an ON news release. “Since then, ON has held several dances in honor of this highly reverenced and historical event. Due to COVID-19 impact on the Nation, precautions were taken and the Dance was canceled in 2020 and 2021.”
As in previous years, the Nation will observe ON Sovereignty Day as a government holiday and offices will be closed Monday, March 14.
On March 19, doors will open for the celebration at 2 p.m. that day with a supper to be served at 5 p.m. Grand entry for the dance will be at 7 p.m. As in previous years, the dance will feature competition dancing with cash prizes awarded to the top three contestants in straight, fancy, cloth and buckskin dances. The top four contestants competing in the teen and junior straight and cloth dances will receive cash prizes.
In its Feb. 18 announcement, the Nation said this year’s powwow emcee is former ON Congressman Archie Mason and Arena Directors are Tim Lookout and OJ Littlecook. The Head Lady Dancer will be current ON Princess Gianna “Gigi” Sieke, Head Man Dancer is Noah Shadlow and Head Singer is Robert Collins. The Osage Gourd Clan is the host gourd group, Robin West is the event’s head cook and the Harold Bigheart Smalley American Legion Post 198 will be the event color guard.
The ON government has celebrated Sovereignty Day each March to commemorate the reformed government and Osage Constitution approved by two-thirds of voters in the 2006 election. The Osage Constitution has been amended four times by Osage voters in 2014, 2016, 2017 and 2020.