Category Archives: Osage

Indian Thanksgiving

Posted on November 23, 2011 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

My family always celebrated Thanksgiving, no matter if we were in Teheran, London or Salinas, California. And while we grew up knowing we were descendents of Osage and Lakota forebears, it wasn’t until college that I came to appreciate native … Continue reading →

Posted in authenticity, Indian, Osage | 2 Comments

Faux Indians and Halloween

Posted on October 29, 2011 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

In my insular world of email and Facebook there’s a load of chatter about Indian costumes worn at Halloween. After searching the internet, I found plentiful websites that sell Native American “costumes” as “part of the American Halloween scene” where … Continue reading →

Posted in authenticity, Indian, Osage | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Sunday, Hompa Wakonta

Posted on September 4, 2011 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

Listening to Osage language tapes I hear that Sunday is called God Day: hompa Wakonta. I lack training in linguistics, but my best guess is that names for days-of-the-week were introduced to the Osage people by non-Indians.

Posted in authenticity, journalism, Osage | 1 Comment

Bear People

Posted on August 31, 2011 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

A recent radio story talked about how a man approached a wild bear because he wanted take a photo with him and the bear.

Posted in authenticity, framing, Francis Parkman, journalism, Osage | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Family Nuggets

Posted on August 20, 2011 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

My great uncle, Fred Grove, supplied my mother with nuggets about our Indian ancestors whenever she asked. Because my family lived overseas until my step-father’s retirement, Mama didn’t return to her Osage roots until moving back to the US in … Continue reading →

Posted in authenticity, Francis Parkman, Henri Chatillion, journalism, Lakota, Native Science, Osage | Tagged | 2 Comments

Odd Names, Weird Spellings

Posted on August 19, 2011 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

How odd that my grandmother’s name was Mary Leticia Grove, and that some of the documents list her family name as “Groves.” When I asked my mother why the difference, she just shrugged.

Posted in authenticity, film, framing, Henri Chatillion, Indian, Osage | Tagged , | 2 Comments

A Frontier Marriage

Posted on August 18, 2011 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

Bear Robe and Henri’s daughter Emilie was raised by relatives but Henri resumed his paternal duties when Emilie was about 16, bringing her to St. Louis to meet her future husband, a French-Osage-Kanza man named Benjamin Lessert.

Posted in authenticity, Henri Chatillion, Indian, Lakota, Osage | Tagged | 2 Comments

How Do Historians Do It?

Posted on August 17, 2011 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

I don’t know how historians do it: how do they cleave fiction from fact? As I dig through the stories of Francis Parkman’s French scout, the fierce Oglala chief Bull Bear and the Lesserts, Revards and Herridges of Osage tales, … Continue reading →

Posted in authenticity, Francis Parkman, Henri Chatillion, Indian, Lakota, Native Science, Osage, science, science communication | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Osage and Oglala Forebears

Posted on August 16, 2011 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

My guide in St. Louis was Mary (Mimi) Stiritz, a generous soul who took time to tell me what she had learned about my family in her historical searches. Mimi introduced me to the Chatillon-DeMenil mansion’s staff and board members … Continue reading →

Posted in authenticity, Francis Parkman, Henri Chatillion, Indian, Lakota, Native Science, Osage, risk, science, science communication | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Brave Scout, Brave Wife

Posted on August 15, 2011 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

Our tour guide Kevin O’Neill told captivating stories about my great-great-great-great grandfather Henri Chatillon when I visited the Chatillon-DeMenil Mansion in St. Louis. My ancestor met Francis Parkman because the writer wanted to hire Henri as a scout for his … Continue reading →

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