For at least ten years, I have been trying to accomplish obtaining equal voting standards/rights for the members of the Osage Tribe.
When I served as a member of the Osage Minerals Council, I wrote memorandums to both the Principal Chief and the Assistant Principal Chief in an attempt to return back to the amendment of the 1906 Act of Congress. Unfortunately, I never received a reply from either.
Recently, I appealed to the present member of the Osage Minerals Council to return to the 1906 Act of Congress. This act states each person of legal age AND has a headright OR part of a headright is entitled to have ONE VOTE. Every citizen of the United States of America, of legal voting age, is entitled to the right to ONE VOTE. Sadly, the same truth does not apply to the members of the Osage Tribe. I find it very disconcerting that no one I have contacted appears to regard this issue as important.
In our existing elections, the voting procedure used for the election of the Osage Minerals Council is the same procedure used to elect the Osage Tribal Council. There is no longer an existing Tribal Council; therefore, we should return to the amendment in the 1906 Act of Congress where ALL ELIGIBLE OSAGE TRIBAL MEMBERS have one vote for the election of the Osage Minerals Council. After all, the Osage Tribe member has a headright or part of a headright. The Osage mineral rights belong to the Osage Tribe. This should continue as long as there is an Osage Tribe.
Melvin F. Core
Pawhuska, OK
By
Letter to the Editor
Original Publish Date: 2020-02-01 00:00:00
