By Otto Hamilton III
My name is Otto Hamilton III and I’m running for Osage Congress. I’m the oldest son of the late Otto “Sonny” Hamilton, Jr and the late Sandra Murphy-Hamilton. I come from the Hamilton, Pryor and Strike Ax families. I’m the proud father to William, Antwine and Wahreshe Hamilton. I currently serve as a tail dancer for the Pawhuska district. My family has always been culturally active in our Osage ways.
I attended Osage Nation Head Start and graduated from Pawhuska High School. I went on to graduate with my bachelor’s degree from the University of Oklahoma. I returned back to Pawhuska and worked for the Osage Education Department, coordinating youth programs, adult work experience programs and providing scholarship intake. In 2006 I started working for Strategic Planning and Grants Management, as a grants management specialist. During this time I learned project management working with federal grants and program directors. In 2014 I was elected to Osage Congress and served a four year term. I served as the 2nd speaker 2 years of my 4 year term. In 2018, I worked for the National Indian Education Association (NIEA) in Washington D.C. as a field operation specialist. I was assigned several states and held workshops and trainings over the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), Title VI Indian Ed Parent Committees and advocacy. When covid hit, my family and I returned home to Oklahoma and I was employed with Tulsa Public Schools as an Indian Education Resource Advisor. This past year I returned to work for the Osage Nation once again as a Grants Management Specialist.
My work experience has always revolved around Education. Education will always provide away for our people to better our lives for the future. There are different ways and approaches to Education, we do not need to be limited to only scholarships for higher Ed. I would like to see more educational programs that encompass the family, not just the individual. This can be done by the Nation providing community gatherings that advocate for the family and giving the Nation an opportunity to tell our story, our accomplishments, and our goals. This is an opportunity for our Osage members to hear this from our own people, not from an outside source. This can be done anywhere where Osages live, even virtually. More Osages are being home schooled now than ever before. As a nation we need to adjust to current technology trends and be leader, not only on the local level, but on the national level too. I want other tribes and entities to read and hear about how the Osage Nation is taking care of its tribal citizens.
My background is in Project and Grants Management, Education Advocacy, and I have experience as an elected official. I’m humbly asking for your vote again on June 6th. Please feel free to reach out and ask me any questions you might have in regards to my experience, qualifications, campaign, etc. I look forward to hearing from you!
Aho,
Otto Hamilton
Editor’s Note: Candidate statements and announcements are not edited by the Osage News. They are a free submission offered to candidates of the 2022 Osage Nation General Election.
