WOODLAND, Calif. – Osage Nation officials shared online resources for constituents seeking information and to access services offered by the Nation during the Oct. 6 Northern California Osage Fall Gathering attended by those who reside here in The Golden State.
Russ Tallchief, who serves as a Wahzhazhe Communications Content Manager, met with NCO attendees and shared several online resources with those who traveled from various parts of the state for the event held outdoors at Nelson’s Grove.
“We are the external affairs office of the Nation, so we’re about information sharing primarily,” Tallchief said, adding the office works with news outlets and he writes press releases. “I also do content for our social media and the web, some photography and video work. We host the events that we organize. If there’s a ribbon-cutting or there’s a ground-breaking or if there’s a special event, then very often we will organize that.”
As a special event example, Tallchief noted “We’re coming up on the anniversary of the (Osage Ballerina) Maria Tallchief Quarter that was released last October and that was one of the biggest events that we’ve put together and we organized that in conjunction with the United States Mint and the Tulsa Historical Society which has the sculpture garden where the Five Moons that are in there and the Five Moons are what you see on the dollar coin … Even though Maria (great-aunt to Russ Tallchief) is on both of those coins, the dollar actually represents all five ballerinas and so Oklahoma – We’re proud of all of those dancers.”
“Maria and Marjorie Tallchief were sisters and then Yvonne Chouteau and then Moscelyne Larkin and Rosella Hightower, so we honored them at the event as well,” Tallchief said of the Oct. 29, 2023, event known as the Maria Tallchief American Quarter Celebration. Also that day, a rebuilt bronze statue of Marjorie Tallchief was rededicated after the original one was cut down and stolen in 2022 and was found cut into pieces at a local junkyard.
Tallchief added: “(The Apple film Killers of the Flower Moon) was coming out right around that time (released worldwide Oct. 20), so a year ago this month in October was just a blur! I think if you ask anyone in the Osage Nation about last October, it was a wild ride. There’s a part of our work in Communications that’s just a lot of fun and that was a blast – also historic.”
“That’s our mission to let everyone know what’s going on at the Nation, how you can get involved, there are ways to get involved, even from a distance and so we want you to stay connected,” Tallchief said.
Tallchief discussed the Nation’s internet presence where constituents can follow for updates.
“Whenever you go online, for example our social media, then you’ll see our work,” Tallchief said. The Osage Nation has social media platforms on Facebook and Instagram, which are managed by Communications officials. “Follow us, like us and we’ll keep you informed that way. But the Visitors Center also has a Facebook page and some of the other departments like Language, Culture, they have their own social media accounts, so follow them.”
Tallchief discussed online Osage language class opportunities, stating “The Language Department is doing amazing work in making these classes accessible to everyone. I take language class from (instructor) Chris Cote on Tuesdays at noon and it’s right over the lunch hour … I’ll do it from Zoom because sometimes I’m there, sometimes I’m not … And they have classes in the evening as well.”
On Instagram, the Nation has its own account, “you can also find the Visitor’s Center there and Language and culture. The casinos have their own (social media), so does the (ON) Health System,” Tallchief said, adding “we have a TikTok account as well.”
Tallchief said the office conducted an informal study with individuals from the GenZ era after talking to a summer youth worker about her social media habits. “We got all of her friends together, we did a focus group with GenZ – Where are you? What are you looking at on social media? What are you interested in? Where do you get your information? And what we realized was that TikTok represents all demographics … but not everyone’s on Facebook, not everybody’s on Instagram. There are so many different platforms to choose from now.”
Also as part of his job, Tallchief said he works with various departments and entities in the Osage government, using the Department of Natural Resources, Harvest Land and Butcher House as examples. “What they’re doing out there is beyond the Farmer’s Market because you’ll see a lot of publicity about what they’re doing. They’re not just growing food, they’re trying to create a sustainable community where it’s not just about growing cucumbers, but it’s about how can we sustain our community as part of our sovereignty? How can we keep everything in-house?”
Tallchief noted the Nation has two separate websites with information on the three-branch Osage government and its various departments, programs and entities at www.osagenation-nsn.gov
As for culture, language and entities including the ON Museum and Historic Preservation Office, they can be found at www.osageculture.com
On the government website, Tallchief mentioned the recently added service portal feature for Osages to use by registering to access and apply for certain services.
The government portal website is at: https://portal.osagenation-nsn.gov/
“This is where you’re going to find a one-stop shop eventually for our services, this is relatively new … There’s Burial Assistance, School Clothing Assistance, Career Training Scholarship, Ethics Complaint and Open Records Request,” Tallchief said. On this website, there are also downloadable PDF forms to apply for other services including Crisis Assistance, Membership Services, Energy Assistance, WIC, Food Distribution and Employment Assistance and plans are in process of adding more online forms to the portal.
“In the past, you had to register and apply for each of those separately and so what the service portal is trying to do is make it a one-stop shop where you register in the portal and your information is saved there and so when you apply for those other services then you don’t have to go through the entire process over and over again,” Tallchief said. “Get connected to that service portal, it’s a very easy way to register, just an email and a password and then you’ll see all those different things you can apply for and then look at the criteria and see if you qualify for that.”
