Former State Representative, Osage Nation Assistant Principal Chief and current ON Congressman Scott BigHorse announced his candidacy for chief with a dinner at Wakon Iron hosting over 200 attendees, many of whom remarked that not only was BigHorse a humble leader, but he understands the Osage people and their needs.
In opening words, BigHorse briefly acknowledged three genocides of the Osage people – in the movement from Missouri to Kansas, then from Kansas to Oklahoma, and during the Reign of Terror. After prayer and remarks from Minerals Councilman Everett Waller and ON Congresswoman Brandy Lemon, BigHorse began his speech by thanking the cooks and attendees and then acknowledging history once more.
Surveying the turnout, BigHorse said he was humbled and overwhelmed by the dinner. “When you do something like this, you never know how things are going to turn out. … From the bottom of my heart, I want to thank all of these ladies back here that cooked this meal,” he said, “and took the time to come and prep it yesterday and spend all morning this morning cooking it. …
“With things that are going on here within our history, it’s hard to get off into politics and things that we’re going to stand for – but I do want to at least let you know that I am looking at affordable housing for our youth.
“Also, I’d like to see another stream of revenue comparable to what we have coming through the casino. Those are endeavors I’m going to be sure enough on top of,” said BigHorse.

BigHorse also noted health, education and all welfare programs to help elders and children as his priorities. “We have a lot of good things going on and I’m not going to come in to rock the boat,” he said. “I’m not looking for a lot of changes. If something is happening and somebody needs change, I certainly don’t have a problem doing that – but you better have a pretty good case against that person.”
Waller, in introducing the candidate, said he had known BigHorse since they were children. He acknowledged leaders around the room, from current Principal Chief Geoffrey Standing Bear to several members of the 9th Osage Nation Congress.
“It’s a gift being Osage,” said Waller. “Take care of that. … We have our leadership here. We have our leadership there. … We have to go out and defend ourselves coast to coast. I’m a little battle-worn from what we’ve had to do but I’ll tell you one thing about it, we’ve won five times and we’ll win six times,” he said. Waller was alluding to the wind farm battle the Osage Nation and Mineral Estate won after 12 years of litigation, which BigHorse helped to fight.
“This is all he’s done his whole life,” Waller said of BigHorse, referring to the candidate’s 19 years of service in public offices. He was a state representative for House District 36 in the 51st legislature in 2006 and then entered Osage Nation tribal government beginning in 2010.
BigHorse served as assistant principal chief, then principal chief after the impeachment of the late John D. Red Eagle, and as a multi-term Osage congressman. He is currently a Congressman on the 9th Osage Nation Congress.

In Congresswoman Lemon’s remarks, she attested to BigHorse’s character as both a colleague and mentor. She spoke of his humility, knowledge and respect for the Osage people and traditions. Not only would he bring admirable leadership qualities to the role of chief, she said, but BigHorse would do so in a way that “can help us dial back a little bit with all of the toxic social media, all those types of things that are going on out there, to make us feel good. He’s about us holding each other up, not being crabs in a bucket.”
BigHorse also introduced his campaign manager, Coley Morrell Streater of the Grayhorse District, who holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in educational leadership. Streater said he was honored to be BigHorse’s campaign manager. It is his first time in such a role.
Congresswomen Alice Goodfox and Jodie Revard organized the dinner, gathering cooks from all three districts to show “the unity we can have with our people,” said BigHorse. Three elder women, Dolores “DeeDee” Goodeagle of the Grayhorse District, Billie Ponca of the Grayhorse District and Janet Goodfox of the Hominy District, cut cakes representing the three districts.

The three women had been selected by BigHorse for the honor, said Congresswoman Goodfox, who noted that the cake-cutting is a custom of all three districts.
Goodeagle said she was honored to be asked to help the candidate at his dinner and noted that he knew her whole family and all she’d been through. BigHorse would make a good chief, she said, because he cares deeply for the people, and he knows what they have been through.
Ponca described BigHorse as genuine, humble, fair, and someone who sticks to his principles. He would make “a wonderful chief for us,” she said. Ponca added that she was surprised and honored to be asked to cut the cake for his dinner. “It’s nice to be acknowledged, but it’s even nicer whenever someone recognizes you in the tribe.”
Janet Goodfox remarked that BigHorse would “get things on track,” and said she was very honored to be asked to cut one of the three cakes at the dinner.
Current University of Oklahoma Princess Gigi Sieke was in attendance. She was impressed with BigHorse’s political background, she said. “He understands the legal system,” she said. “Especially in Oklahoma, especially where the government is headed – and I think he has a plan for us to start depending on ourselves.”
BigHorse acknowledged his mentors in coming into his path in politics, including his mother. “I was brought up in this political world by elders, elder statesmen [and women]. And I had the opportunity to be around some really good men and still, who instilled this political knowledge. It’s a real science. There’s a lot more to it than just putting your name in a hat and sending off flyers,” he said.

BigHorse’s mother was an elected official, he explained. “She knew a lot of elected officials and I was able to be a page when I was a teenager. From that point on, it’s just been following the path that God has laid for me.”
BigHorse is the son of Kenneth and Toby Bighorse, and he is of the Bighorse and Pearson families. He is a renowned traditional singer, and his Osage name is Ki-He-Kah Tah, translating to Big Chief.
During his service in the House of Representatives, BigHorse said he voted that abortion laws must consider the life of the mother, in conditions of rape and incest.
“They would not consider the life of the mother, rape, nor incest, so I had no alternative. I was sticking to my values, and I voted ‘no.’ Of course, they hung me for it and I didn’t get to go back, but I learned a lot. I got to be with U.S. congressmen, U.S. senators, state senators, and house of reps … they’re the ones that kind of guided me along and took me under their wing,” he said.
“God Almighty, he’s blessed me, and he’s put me on this path and I’m just going to continue to follow it. So, I want to thank each and every one of you from the bottom of my heart … we’re going through rough times, losing people, and I know how hard that is. So, I want God to bless each and every one of you, your homes, your families and the rest of your life. Thank you,” he said.

The candidate’s brother, Vann Bighorse, Secretary of Language, Culture and Education for the Nation, listened with his head bowed during the speech, as if in prayer. After the dinner, he said that his brother has a good heart for all the Osage people “and everything that we have here. I think he’ll be a good candidate. As they say, he’s a humble man and traditional.”
As attendees visited with one another, enjoying cake, they discussed the candidate, who resides in Pawhuska Indian Camp.
Drew Tiger said he saw BigHorse bringing “increased change” that the tribe needs around economic development, affordable housing and new opportunities for revenue streams. “I’d like [to see] him provide business opportunities for our kids who grow up here and they go off to college and to give them something to come back to in terms of occupation and affordable housing for them to get into. Then they can raise their family and come back, get re-emerged into the community. When I left, I didn’t have that opportunity to come back and work like I do now. It’s starting to increase, and I’d like to see more of that.”
“Fairness and inclusiveness,” said interior designer Chad Renfro, describing what he saw in BigHorse for Chief. “Some of the things that we’re going to be missing in the next few years, and I also see a lot of wisdom, both culturally and politically.”
Bill Fenton, director of the Osage Nation’s IT and an Osage raised in California, echoed Goodeagle’s sentiment – that BigHorse understands the people and cares for them. “I see Scott as a very, very humble leader and he understands the community, he understands what we need. He’s very kind and he’s people-oriented and those are the biggest qualities that I look for in a leader. He seems to have empathy and thinks things through. He’s not a knee-jerk reaction kind of guy. Those are things, to me, that we need.”

Current Principal Chief of the Osage Nation Geoffrey Standing Bear was in attendance with his wife Julie, who reflected that the Osage Nation is “a small tribe, so we’re fortunate that somebody is committed to … a role of public service,” she said. She added that BigHorse was someone who would approach the office as a public servant, with the good of the people at heart. Also, she said, he would build on what Standing Bear’s administration had accomplished.
Chief Standing Bear said he asked BigHorse multiple times to consider running for chief after praying about it. He advised BigHorse to announce his candidacy early. “You need to go ahead and make things where people wouldn’t want to run against you. That’s my view. If you start early, those that are on the fence will step back.”
In BigHorse’s experience in the government of the Osage Nation and in his state service, he has gained qualifying experience, Chief Standing Bear said. The Oklahoma House of Representatives commended him in 2011 for being an “inspiration” and he worked for the Oklahoma state government for 24 years prior to campaigning for public office.
BigHorse has a good reputation among former colleagues in the legislature and house, said Standing Bear. He concluded that he believed the candidate had good intentions for positive change.

At the end of the dinner, BigHorse elaborated on his comments for Osage News, noting that the Osage LLC would be an area of economic growth, focusing on drones. “There are companies coming from all around the world to that little airpark right there because we have that drone space that goes from Tulsa to Stillwater, Stillwater to Pawnee, Pawnee to Pawhuska, Pawhuska back to the airpark. And I look for the Osage tribe along with [George Kaiser Family Foundation], I look for us to be setting FAA standards along with the FAA pertaining to drones. And we’re seeing all kinds of that activity.”
Of military use of drones, BigHorse said, it’s something that “we’ve got to get a grip on before it gets completely out of hand.” He added that drones could be used for monitoring the mineral estate.
“Another thing I want to do … is start buying oil tank trucks so that we have our own Osage drivers, and those producers have to call our drivers to come and get their oil and haul it. There’s companies that come and do that right now. Why do they do that? Because they make money. So, if we did that ourselves, we’d be making the money that they make,” said the candidate for chief.
Regarding social media, BigHorse said that he would like to see young people participating in Osage life in person.
The internet, he said, “is changing the whole world … social media and all that is good to a certain point – but at a certain point you have to be face-to-face.” BigHorse then returned to his intention of fostering holistic health and opportunities for Osage youth.
“And I want them to start learning these politics, too,” he said, noting this necessity for the future of the Nation.