One message stood out above all others at the 11th Annual Dhegiha Conference, protect our Indigenous languages.
The conference, which took place July 27-28 at the Quapaw Nation’s Downstream Casino Resort in Quapaw, Okla., had its biggest turnout yet with more than 300 attendees, a far cry from its origins in 2011 with 44 attendees. The Dhegiha tribes consist of the Osage, Omaha, Quapaw, Kaw, Ponca and Northern Ponca nations. They are part of a Siouan language group whose languages are similar with a shared history and culture.

Quapaw Nation Chairman Joseph Tali Byrd, an attorney who is also Osage, addressed the attendees during the opening ceremony. He said the hostility of state officials in Oklahoma against tribal sovereignty and the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Oklahoma v. Victor Castro-Huerta gave states concurrent jurisdiction to arrest and prosecute non-Natives who commit crimes on tribal lands, making the protection of Indigenous languages and culture a priority. He said with so many forces attacking Indigenous sovereignty from all sides, tribes need to “fight to keep hold of our culture the best way that we can.”
“It’s a powerful thing to be in this room, full of Indians, full of powerful people,” Byrd said. “To honor our ancestors, to honor their legacy with our languages. It’s a powerful thing.”
He also spoke about unity and helping one another. For example, he said the Osage Nation Language Department recently provided information to the Quapaw Nation that helped his tribe win a competitive language grant. “That wouldn’t have been possible without the Wahzhazhe exchange,” he said.

Presentations kicked off with 16-year-old Pawhuska High School student Emma McKibben, Quapaw, who has taken Osage I and Osage II at PHS from Osage Language Instructor Dana Daylight. McKibben, who was recently crowned Quapaw Nation Princess also won the grand prize at this year’s Oklahoma Native American Youth Language Fair poster contest.
She said it was easier for her to learn the Osage language because the Osage have their own orthography. When she’s learning the Quapaw language, which uses the phonetic spelling of a word and there are multiple variations of how to spell one word according to the way each person hears it. She has studied both the Quapaw and Osage languages and advocates for one orthography for all Dhegihan people.
“When each tribe’s language is on the same page, it can be better understood by Dhegiha speakers,” she said. “Then we can help each language grow and expand.”
Dr. Mogri Lookout, Osage language master teacher, spoke about the need to integrate more culture into learning the language, versus translating English to Osage. He gave examples of how his ancestors spoke the language and how it was passed down from generation to generation.

Kaw presenter, Desireé “Storm” Brave, who is also Osage, Citizen Potawatomie and Cherokee, wowed attendees with videos of her young language students and online classes. Brave began teaching the Kaáⁿze Íe (Kaw Language) in 2016 after she graduated high school and before she “had a budget or a grant.” She started classes by teaching her nieces and nephews and by the time she was 21, she was named a Master Teacher and Director of the Kaw Nation Language program.
“The children teach me more than they will ever know,” she said.
Over time, she has come to realize that the language program is more than a classroom, it is a safe space for Kaw youth. She, and one other teacher Susy Smith, have about 100 students and teach classes in Kaw City, Newkirk, on Zoom and in the Kaw childcare facilities. They have an Immersion Class in its sixth year and have 10 students who attend faithfully. They also have an Elders Program where they deliver monthly language booklets and activities for elders through Title VI.
Additional presentations were made by Ponca elder Louis Headman; Sky Campbell on the development of the Online Osage Dictionary; Celena White on the administrative functions of the Osage Nation Language Department; Eagle Rhodd on the Ponca language; Mike Pahsetopah on “Indian Sign Language” and Talee Redcorn on the Osage language.

The mission statement of the Dhegiha Preservation Society is “the Osage, Omaha, Quapaw, Kaw, Ponca and Northern Ponca peoples are bound to one another through a shared history, ancient social, political and cultural relationships and a common language, the latter of which is in jeopardy of extinction. Cognizant of the critical importance of the Dhegiha Language to the cultural and social well-being of each respective tribe, the undersigned do hereby come together to establish the Dhegiha Preservation Society for the purpose of protecting, preserving and perpetuating the Dhegiha Language through training, education, publication, program development, curriculum development, outreach and social and cultural exchange activities.”
To donate to the Dhegiha Preservation Society’s efforts, contact chairman Bill Lynn at (918) 331-7055 or email him at williamrlynn@yahoo.com.