Have you had the opportunity to watch the movie, Killers of the Flower Moon? It is based on a true story about the discovery of oil on Osage Nation Land in Oklahoma. Members of the Osage Nation were being murdered, many involved in supposedly trying to solve the murders were not honest, and finally the FBI did step in. The murders were committed by people determined to gain access to any wealth of Osasge members due to their ownership of valuable mineral rights.

Another issue I had previously learned from historical research is that the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and its handling of the mineral rights of Tribal members across the U.S. was not without graft, lies, and cheating. Many Native Americans were not receiving all their mineral right funds in a timely fashion from the BIA. It was sad to read that people died while the BIA and other government officials took their time in these matters. Some were cheated out of what was rightfully their own income due to bureauocracy. The National Archives holds BIA material related to correspondence, payments, and inheritance rights for much of Indian Country.

Lilly Gladstone, who has Indigenous roots, was a star in the movie and won the Golden Globe award for Best Female Actor in a Drama Motion Picture. I watched it live and highly recommnd it. You can watch and listen to her wonderful acceptance speech at the Golden Globes this past Sunday. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lvdCkh1SDfQ

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