New film chronicles century-old Osage Nation murders

World
By William

The Osage Nation in Oklahoma, like many Native American tribes, has survived colonial oppression, genocide, and the theft of their land and resources. But a dizzying string of murders on this community in the 1920s, fueled by a desire for oil money, has now thrust the Osage people into the Hollywood spotlight.

Killers of the Flower Moon, directed by Oscar winner Martin Scorsese and starring Leonardo DiCaprio, premieres Saturday at the Cannes Film Festival.

The film chronicles the widespread corruption, robbery and murder in a time known as the Reign of Terror. Osage’s land was rich in oil, which brought prosperity to the community – but this prosperity was short-lived, as its members were terrorized by dozens of murders orchestrated by white men hungry for resource rights, known as “headrights”.

The murders came to light in 1921, when the decomposed body of 34-year-old Anna Brown was found in an Osage County ravine. Autopsy revealed she had died of a gunshot wound to the back of the head. In subsequent years, more and more Osage people were found dead in violent or suspicious circumstances.

Dante Biss-Grayson, a member of the Osage Nation, recalls the silence and fear that once pervaded his community when the topic of headrights came up. His great-great-grandfather, Henry Roan, was murdered in 1923 for his oil money.

“Even when I was growing up, nobody talked about the headrights,” Biss-Grayson told Al Jazeera. “The whole room would be quiet because they knew it was dangerous…because they knew anyone could be a target.”

Roan was found at the age of 40 behind the wheel of a Buick just outside Fairfax, Oklahoma. He was killed in 1923 for his $25,000 ($440,000 today) life insurance policy, of which white businessman William Hale was a benefactor.

When Hollywood showed up in Osage County to make the movie, community members were wary at first, Biss-Grayson said.

“It’s like keeping one eye open. [We wondered], are they coming in to make money? Will they do well? Will they respect it? Are they going to dishonor it?” he said. “And surely, [DiCaprio’s] a big movie star and Scorsese is great – but again, it’s our story so we want to make sure it was right.

“And as soon as the first encounters started, there was a relief that they would give it the respect it needed.”

Jim Gray, a great-grandson of Roan, also mentioned a lot of fear among the Osage before Scorsese contacted them. Today he praises the integration process of the film crew.

“I can honestly say I applaud their efforts; they listened to us, they talked to us,” Gray told Al Jazeera. “They used our linguists to teach the actors the Osage language, so it’s spoken accurately — but I’m holding back because I haven’t seen the movie yet.”

Crushed by violence

At the height of the Reign of Terror, Osage chieftains ordered Barney McBride, a white oilman they trusted, to go to Washington to beg for help investigating the murders, as local law enforcement failed to solve the crimes and the Osage Nation had limited power.

“Congress had passed laws that split our tribal lands, wiped out our tribal government and replaced it with a weak tribal council that had no legislative powers, and effectively the BIA [Bureau of Indian Affairs] was in charge of everything,” Gray said. “People looked to the tribe for leadership, and there was nothing they could do to help.”

The murders fired up the Federal Bureau of Investigation, whose investigation was led by a young cop named Tom White, played in the movie by Jesse Plemons, who worked tirelessly to uncover the truth. His efforts paid off; the case was one of the most sensational at the time, with the media following every twist and turn.

But the damage had been done. The Osage had been shattered by the violence and countless families had lost loved ones.

Hale, played by Robert De Niro, is said to have masterminded many of the murders, having married into the Osage community to gain control of oil leases. He hired a hitman to carry out the murders in a plot involving his cousin Ernest Burkhart, played by DiCaprio, who married Mollie Kyle (an Osage native, played in the film by Lily Gladstone) at Hale’s urging for access access to its principal rights.

Hale was eventually convicted of Roan’s murder and sentenced to life imprisonment. He was paroled in 1947 after serving only two decades in prison.

Biss-Grayson, a fashion designer who weaves Osage patterns into his creations, says he often stares at a familiar photo of Roan and imagines him at the height of his life. In the black-and-white photo, Roan sits on a large mock-up of a crescent moon, wearing traditional braids, a brimmed hat, suit, and polished shoes.

“For me, he has some kind of joke to have fun with. It feels like a Great Gatsby moment,” said Biss-Grayson. “I try to remember him as if he was in the middle of something. He was in transition from the old ways to this new world. And then he gets hit with all his money.

“But I just love to see him in that picture, where he’s smiling and has a little bit of his native culture, but also in a Western jacket.”

Rights recovered

The murders remain a dark spot in United States history. Gray believes that the people who once sought the wealth of the Osage Nation didn’t think the Osage people would be around today.

“It’s probably not out of the question that they thought we were just going to die out,” he said. “Given all the killings that were going on, I think it would bring [our ancestors] some joy knowing that we have reclaimed our heritage, and our country, and our stories, and our culture, and our language – and we are passing them on to our children. May their lives and their sacrifices not be forgotten.”

Gray named his son, Henry Roan, after his late great-grandfather to ensure that his legacy lives on. As a former Chief Chief of the Osage Nation, Gray worked for a comprehensive restoration of Osage sovereignty: the right to define their own citizens and form their own government. He also oversaw the early stages of the Osage Nation buying back parcels of their land.

“If we don’t gain control of our tribe, our finances, our story, our government, our future — and stop relying on these entities like the Bureau of Indian Affairs — we will always be victims,” ​​Gray said. noting that his efforts were an attempt to “right the ship… We were victims then, during the Reign of Terror, but we don’t live as victims today.”

White descendants of people who obtained principal rights from Osage members still hold about 25 percent of those rights today. But Biss-Grayson believes the new film will open the doors to justice, perhaps even heralding the return of principal rights to their rightful owners.

“It will propel this story to so many places and hopefully inspire even more action and protection for future generations,” he said.

In February, Biss-Grayson visited Scorsese at his home during New York Fashion Week and gifted the director a black blazer with Osage patterns on the inner lining. His latest clothing line, intended as a tribute to the Osage people, will be showcased at the Cannes Indigenous Arts and Fashion Festival this weekend. The collection includes custom designs from old newspapers, FBI reports, photos of Osage Nation members, and Biss-Grayson’s own poems.

“There’s the horrible genocide part in it, but I also want our people to succeed,” he said. “This has happened, yes – but let’s show the world that we can enter these spaces, like the fashion world, or the tech world, or the science, or the teachers, or the doctors – and that we can succeed.”

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