Eight years and two applications later, the Bureau of Indian Affairs has approved the Nation’s fee-to-trust application for the Osage Nation Ranch. A move that strengthens the Nation’s sovereignty and preserves the land for generations to come, said Principal Chief Geoffrey Standing Bear.
Delivering the good news on Aug. 30 was Osage tribal member and BIA Realty Specialist Katie Yates-Free. She had the pleasure of placing the notice of approval in Standing Bear’s hands. A fee-to-trust land acquisition, also known as “land into trust,” is the transfer of land title from a federally recognized tribe to the United States, in trust, for the benefit of the tribal nation.
“This is a momentous day for the Osage Nation,” Standing Bear said in a prepared release. “I am humbled and grateful for all those who stayed the course to make this happen. Every day, Osages are working to uphold our sovereignty in various ways, both big and small, and this is the result of those efforts. Our Nation is stronger because of our people and our perseverance in upholding what is ours. We’re getting our land back.”
According to Yates-Free, this is the second-largest fee-to-trust acquisition in United States history, following Santa Ana Pueblo’s 60,000-acre application. But, it is the largest fee-to-trust acquisition in the state of Oklahoma’s history. The Osage Nation Ranch is 41,521 acres.
“I am very proud of this acquisition and all the hard work accomplished by everyone involved,” said Yates-Free in the release. “It took the right people, mindset, and heart to get here. It’s a great day for the Osage Nation.”
Local, state and federal regulatory entities will be notified of the tribe’s fee-to-trust application and will have 30 days to protest.
A long time coming
The Nation first filed its federal fee-to-trust application for the ranch in 2016 after it was purchased from media mogul Ted Turner, then-called the Bluestem Ranch. At the time, Standing Bear said once the ranch was put into trust, it could not be sold, burdened with legal or financial obligations unless approved by the United States by trust standards. It would be preserved for generations.
He had hoped for a swift approval of the application but there were barriers he couldn’t foresee. The application stalled due to information needing updates, such as land titles with the new name Osage Nation Ranch, and other requirements. The Nation resubmitted the application last year after the 8th Osage Nation Congress approved it.
Federal and tribal jurisdiction govern
Federal trust lands are exempt from state and local laws. The federal government has a fiduciary duty to defend these lands and advocate for tribes in legal and negotiation processes.
ON Secretary of Public Safety Nick Williams said in the release that the ONPD has been patrolling the ranch area in anticipation of the approval.
“We have been looking forward to it,” said Williams in the release. “Additional law enforcement is necessary and something we’ve been proactively addressing by patrolling the area as part of our jurisdiction. We already know what it will take, and we are ready.”
This article was updated on Aug. 30, 2024.
