Osage Nation Cultural Ambassador for France

19/10/2026

🩰𐒹𐒰͘𐓄𐒰 𐓍𐒷 𐒻𐓍𐒻 𐓈𐒰𐓍𐒰 𐓄𐒷 (Today You Were Born) | Today we honor the birthday of Marjorie Tallchief Skibine (1926 - 2021), the first American dancer to become an étoile, which is the highest rank a dancer can earn in the Paris Opera Ballet. Her 𐓏𐓘𐓻𐓘𐓻𐓟 (Osage) name was 𐓲𐓟𐓡𐓘͘𐓤𐓘𐓷𐓣͘ (Sacred Buffalo Woman).
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Marjorie and her sister Maria Tallchief played pivotal roles in shaping ballet in America and around the world. Throughout her successful career, Marjorie performed with the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo (1946-47), the Grand Ballet du Marquis de Cuevas (1948-55), Ruth Page's Chicago Opera Ballet (guest artist, 1958–62), and the Harkness Ballet (prima ballerina, 1964–66). She was married to George Skibine, a dancer and choreographer, who later served as artistic director for the Paris Opera Ballet (1958–1961), the Harkness Ballet (1964–1966), and the Dallas Civic Ballet(1969). Her most acclaimed roles include Night Shadow (1950), Annabel Lee (1951), Idylle (1954), Romeo and Juliet (1955), and Giselle (1957).
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Marjorie served as director of dance for the Civic Ballet Academy in Dallas and for the City Ballet in Chicago. In 1989, she accepted the position of director of dance for the Harid Conservatory in Boca Raton, Florida, where she remained until her retirement in 1993. She danced for many heads of state, including John F. Kennedy, Charles de Gaulle, and Lyndon B. Johnson. Marjorie passed away in 2021, becoming the last of Oklahoma’s cherished “Five Moons” to cross over. She and Skibine had twin sons, George Skibine, Jr., and the late Alex Skibine.

18/10/2026

Aujourd’hui, mon cœur va aux commerçants et à la classe ouvrière de France, qui travaillent si dur chaque jour pour le rendre agréable pour le reste d’entre nous

18/10/2026

Today, My heart goes out to the shopkeepers & working class of France, that work so hard every day to “make it nice” for the rest of us.

16/10/2026

🪶 Chief Lucy: The Kaw Woman Who Took Her Nation’s Fight to Washington

In 1922, the Kaw people chose a woman to lead them after fourteen years without a principal chief. Her name was Lucy Tayiah Eads, also known as Chief Lucy. Her Kaw name, Cha-me, meant “Little Deer.”

The situation she inherited had been shaped by decades of land loss and federal policy. The Kaw Allotment Act of 1902 divided the tribe’s remaining lands into individual allotments and weakened the Nation’s ability to govern itself. The old Kaw Agency, the institution through which federal officials administered tribal affairs, had become central to the struggle over what remained of Kaw political authority.

Chief Lucy had been trained as a nurse at Haskell Institute in Lawrence, Kansas. She was also the adopted daughter of Chief Washunga, who had raised her after her parents died. When the Kaw people elected her, she took on a responsibility that extended well beyond the title.

In 1924, Eads carried a petition to Washington, D.C., seeking to reestablish the Kaw Agency. She was asking federal officials to restore an institution through which her people could conduct their affairs. The request was denied on the grounds that it conflicted with the allotment agreement.

The government had written rules that restricted Kaw self-government, then used those same rules to reject the Nation’s attempt to regain authority. Chief Lucy kept representing her people despite the refusal.

She was reelected chief and continued to make education a priority. In 1929, she represented the Kaw Nation at the presidential inauguration of Herbert Hoover, alongside fellow Kaw Charles Curtis, who had become vice president.

Her struggle did not produce an easy victory. The Kaw government was later dismantled, and the Nation endured years of further political uncertainty before rebuilding its government.

Chief Lucy died in Pawhuska, Oklahoma, in 1961. The record of her leadership remains in the history of the Kaw Nation, where she is remembered as its first woman chief.

She went to Washington carrying her people’s demand to be heard. The answer was no. She continued anyway.

Story researched and provided by the Osage Nation Cultural Ambassador for France.

14/10/2026

Lessert Family Obituary circa 1958

14/10/2026

Update “immersion education is a non-negotiable investment”
I agree with the statement of The Open Studio, as it is completely in-line with the same goals of our organization. I am so sorry that they are all having to go through this.

13/10/2026

It’s Important to keep original physical copies of books spread out with families aa well as scanned documents to the cloud. DO NOT DEPEND ON JUST ONE SOURCE! Make copies whenever you can.

Native American leaders fear priceless records from their history may be lost after a fire at a convenience store on Franklin Avenue in Minneapolis on Sunday. | Link to more in the comment section.

13/10/2026

A real shame. These kids and teachers deserve better. Let’s return these kid’s books, shelves, and get them what they need to continue their Osage Language Education.

Warrants authorize searches for books, furniture and electronic devices allegedly taken from Daposka Ahnkodapi

13/10/2026

Showing solidarity and support all the way from France for the homeschool that was invaded today in Pawhuska by it’s own government. I felt the news before I read it and I’m still shaking after reading this news. My wish is that these children’s educational needs can be put first, not only in the local community, but in the extended Osage communities that are out of the area.

12/10/2026