Meet more inspirational First Americans at First Americans Museum! Learn about modern storytellers like Yancey Red
Corn, as well as athletes, musicians and more. The museum is open Wednesday through Monday, and the third Sunday of each month is free for kids 12 and under. Learn more here.
His book was republished last summer; Martin Scorsese wrote a foreword for it and David wrote a blurb on the cover. Now my son, who’s a screenwriter, has written a script for it to be a TV miniseries, with Scorsese editing it. My son was the only grandchild, and the majority of the time my dad would pick him up from school. My dad was gentle and a good listener and they got along so well — they played the piano together and my son learned how to write from my dad. And my son learned how to be a doer and not wait around on others. How do you hope the film — and this history — will continue to impact local parents and families? I wish they would teach this book [ Killers of the Flower Moon ] in high schools. Everything about the book and movie is about how we don’t want to treat our fellow humans. Even though we come from different cultures and religions, we can all be respectful of each other. The evil humans who were killing the Osage did not see us as human beings. There was a saying that you could get arrested for kicking a dog but not for killing an Osage. There are so many divisions right now. I hope people will see this movie and see how far people will go if you don’t respect that we are all equal and all human. We have a lot of history we need to learn not to repeat in Oklahoma.
My great-grandfather’s sons tried to get the authorities to investigate but they said it was a natural death. It was a conspiracy with everyone in on it — doctors, morticians, sheriffs, pastors, neighbors — they felt powerless. What does your Osage heritage mean to you? It defines me. I was put on an Osage cradleboard when I was born. When I was 3, I started dancing Osage dances, and I’ve danced every year since. My son also started dancing when he was 3, and he’s 24 now. I go to ceremonies, functions and traditional Osage funerals. I am part of this community and we all try to support each other. My dad was a name giver in our clan, the Peacemaker Clan. We’re the mediators and decision makers. That’s been passed down for hundreds of years. The name giving ceremony is one of the oldest ceremonies we have. My dad passed it to me and I passed it to my son and nephew. If you want to dance and participate in ceremonies, you have to have an Osage clan name. We take it very seriously; we get to know the person and the family. You tell a speech or story about the family and where the name comes from — all through our oral traditions. What is it like to see your family’s story come full circle? My dad wrote A Pipe for February , based on the Osages in the 1920s, which concentrates on the Osages going through it with the murders more in the background. My dad and David [Grann] became good friends, and my dad helped him have more of an understanding for his book. Scorsese read [ A Pipe for February ] when writing the script and ended up paying for nonexclusive rights — the opening prologue [in the movie], where they’re speaking in Osage, is verbatim from my dad’s book. My sister participated in that scene as one of the mourners and it was really emotional for her — my dad passed away in 2017. RED CORN WITH ACTOR LEONARDO DICAPRIO, WITH WHOM HE STARRED IN KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON , AT THE PALM SPRINGS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL.
Editor’s note: This article is part of a series produced in conjunction with First Americans Museum to share the stories of inspirational modern-day First Americans. Find the full series at metrofamilymagazine.com/inspirational-first-americans . RED CORN’S SISTER IS A CADDO ARTIST. HER INTRICATE BEADWORK IS SHOWN HERE ON HIS SHOES.
METROFAMILYMAGAZINE.COM / JULY-AUGUST 2024 15
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