Principal Chief Geoffrey Standing Bear spoke on behalf of the Osage Nation at the Republican National Convention this week at an event hosted by Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK).
The event titled, “Indian Country’s Priorities for the Republican Party,” also featured speakers Marshall Pierite, Chairman for the Tunica-Biloxi Tribe of Louisiana; Jarrod Lower, Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina, member of the North Carolina House of Representatives from the 47th district; Myron Lizer, Businessman and former Vice President of the Navajo Nation; and Loyola University Chicago School of Law Professor Adam Crepelle, United Houma Nation. Mullin is a Cherokee Nation citizen.
Standing Bear said self-governance and self-sufficiency for tribes are vital. As an example, he said during the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic the Osage found itself without critical supplies, such as meat for their elder and youth meal services and fresh vegetables from the local grocery stores. That is why the Nation took the initiative to build Butcher House Meats and Harvest Land.
“But the United States’ relationship, with us, like it is with all of you, is complex and contradictory and to me, it really makes no sense,” Standing Bear said.
He talked about the current relationship the Nation has with the Department of Interior and the challenges the Osage Minerals Council faces with the Mineral Estate. He referenced the film, “Killers of the Flower Moon,” and said there is still a government system set up that still allows abuse.
“Under their control, the Department of Interior, we’re down to 10,000 barrels a day. And so last year, last April, we filed our protest against new regulations that were imposed upon us,” he said. The lawsuit was filed in the District of Columbia.
“If we’re going to have a partnership, let’s make it vital. We bought our reservation, 1.47 million acres with our own money. The federal government comes in and says we’re gonna do it, we’re gonna take care of it, but you’re gonna lose all your property,” he said.
He said the Nation has spent millions in self-governance initiatives and provided for their own people with their own money.
“So here we are spending money, and we sue the Department of Interior because we said we can take over under law, the oil and gas, we can do this. We know how to do it, we have our own environmental department, we know how to write our own laws, we know how to do things,” Standing Bear said. “They said you can’t do that. Because the functions you want, which include checking what’s in those oil tanks, how much is in there, how much is being sold, what’s happening out there to the field … We were denied those positions that under federal law allows us to take over. The Bureau of Indian Affairs said we’re going to continue to do it, and Osage, you can’t do it, you can’t go look at your own property, you can’t check it, you can’t do all that … that is the real world.
“But that just shows you folks the contradiction between working together,” Standing Bear said. “The trust relationship does not mean the federal government can take away our property. We bought it, we paid for it with our own money, and they can’t come in there and tell us how to use it. And then take it and have that property disappear.
“I just hope this new administration will join us and make permanent changes. So we really are going to be self-sufficient. We really are going to talk about self-governance. That’s what we got to do,” Standing Bear said. “I respectfully ask you to allow us to have self-governance, we know how to take care of ourselves and our property and let’s work together as partners so we can build the health care facilities, and we can continue this work and get that oil and gas out of the ground in a safe manner.”
The Republican National Convention was held in Milwaukee, Wis., July 15-18.
