Author: Haley Lawrence Major: Art History

As I began my research for The Momentary, I began to notice something peculiar about the history of indigenous people in America: it was practically non-existent. As a senior college student and an art history major, researching is a tool that I have been polishing and refining my entire academic career. Researching the Osage Nation, however, was a challenge even for me. There were some key websites that listed the general history of the people, but as an academic, I know to have a skeptical eye when it comes to “facts” and “reputable websites;” anyone can type anything online. I was looking for documents, newspapers, or old photos, anything linking the Osage people to the northwest Arkansas area, the home of The Momentary. I was able to find late 19th century/early 20th century newspapers that had been scanned and uploaded online with a search bar. This feature allowed me to search for keywords such as “Osage” and “Bentonville,” because there would be no way I could read all of those newspapers in the weeks I had to complete this research. Unfortunately, my search came up cold. Much of the publications about the tribe were articles that discussed crimes committed by Osage people, and one even outlined the public hanging of two Osage men. None of these were published in Arkansas newspapers, however, so I still had no document that placed the Nation in or around that Kraft Cheese factory. Luckily, there were still many other places to look.  

My next stop was the Osage Nation Museum located in Pawhuska, OK, but before I took the three hour trip from my home of Fayetteville to Pawhuska, I wanted to see if the Museum of Native American history had any documents that could be of use to the research. I called and the receptionist told me that their museum had no official documents on the Osage people, and she suggested that I visit the Osage Nation Museum; that’s the hub for anything and everything Osage. If I was to find anything, I’d find it there.  

So one bright and sunny Tuesday, I made my way to the museum. As soon as I arrived, I beelined to the only employee of the museum working that day, Pauline Allred. I eagerly and naively asked if the museum kept the records of the Nation there, to which she responded, “We haven’t been in Arkansas for almost 200 years,” alluding to the Treaty of 1818 that initiated the systematic removal of Osage people in Arkansas, “but we didn’t write anything down.” They have no written history except for what’s in the museum. She then handed me a thin red book and opened it on the page that outlined the laws that forced these people away from their homes in Arkansas and onto what are now the Osage Reservation lands. This was the only page with information relevant to the research, so I thanked her for showing me and then looked around the museum. Pictures were prohibited, so I furiously scribbled notes on any and all information that I might have needed for my research. I took this information to be fact, even though there were some discrepancies in the museum’s info and that I found online.  

It was Pauline’s words that stuck in my mind: “we didn’t write anything down.” I realized I was researching a culture the completely wrong way; I was using a Western research methods on people who only had an oral history. The Osage people didn’t write anything down, but they didn’t forget what happened to them. Their history is passed down through word of mouth to key members of the community. I should have taken a completely different route in my research. I tried to get in touch with the Osage Chief, but he was not available to meet until after the research was due. This research project reframed my view on what research can be; it isn’t all obtuse academic articles and citing your sources. Sometimes it’s personal and can only be unearthed by talking to those around me.