John Joseph Mathews, the Osage Tribal Museum, and the emergence of an Indigenous Museum Model

Abstract

f a l l 2 0 1 6 w i c a z o s a r e v i e w one of the many ongoing exhibits featured in the Osage Tribal Museum is titled “2,229,” so named after the number of original Osage allottees recorded onto the membership rolls following the allotment of the reservation in 1906. To date, the exhibit features photographs of approximately 1,500 of the original 2,229 allotted members. Those who visit the Osage Tribal Museum are guided through several exhibits featuring the early history of the Osage people prior to their removal to Indian Territory, along with exhibits on the 1906 Osage Allotment Act and the subsequent allotment roll that was compiled before the rolls closed in 1907. For Osage members, the exhibit offers a people’s history of the nation— presented in a visually stunning manner— but also a genealogical history, as presentday tribal members can trace their lineages back to the 2,229 original allottees. Kathryn Redcorn, director and curator of the Osage Tribal Museum, is responsible for envisioning the exhibit and also for creating an abridged version that traveled in 2006 to St. Louis, Missouri, the traditional homelands of the Osage people. This essay thus traces the history of the Osage Tribal Museum, from the time it opened its doors in 1938 to its role in precipitating the emergence of a new tribal museum model. Born on November 16, 1894, Osage historian, writer, tribal councilman, and author John Joseph Mathews would write late in his life about his personal and professional interest in preserving the cultural knowledge of his Osage community: “2,229” John Joseph Mathews, the Osage Tribal Museum, and the emergence of an Indigenous Museum Model