A National nonprofit returned 20 acres of ancestral lands in Missouri back to the Osage Nation.
After an eight year legal battle, the Native American Rights Fund has finally signed over the land's deed to members of the tribe.
The donation was received a day after “Picture Cave,” a property also verified as Osage ancestral land, was auctioned off and sold to a non-Osage bidder.
The Osage Nation has a rich and varied geographical history. According to the tribe, their origins began in the Ohio River Valley with a slow western migration, due to forced removal, towards what is now the Osage Reservation in Northeast Oklahoma.
The entire state of Missouri holds culturally significant areas in Osage settlement patterns.
Osage Nation Historic Preservation Officer Dr. Hunter verified that the 20 acres of land is ancestral to the Osage and has identified visible mounds on the property.
“This is at the core of what we do,” said Dr. Hunter. “We are here to protect our people and protect our ancestors.”
NARF, headquartered in Colorado, is a national nonprofit dedicated to preserving tribal lands, sovereignty, and culture.
According to their website, NARF has successfully defended the rights of Indians and tribes in hundreds of major cases. The nonprofit has achieved significant results in critical areas such as treaty rights and natural resource protection.
“Our focus is on tribal existence, sovereignty and asserting our rights,” said NARF Executive Director John E. Echohawk during the deed signing.
The legal battle and donation came at no cost to the Osage Nation.
For more information on the Native American Rights Fund and how to support to the nonprofit, visit their website.