Wahzhazhe: An Osage Ballet

The Osage ballet, Wahzhazhe, is a contemporary ballet that brings together unique and diverse qualities of Oklahoma history and culture: a reverence for classical ballet that was the legacy of two famous Osage ballerinas, Maria and Marjorie Tallchief, and the richness of Osage traditional music, dance, and textile arts. The creative set designs transform the stage into accurate depictions of Osage lifestyles and the costumes are created to appear as the traditional tribal clothing that was worn during the past 200 years.
The ballet depicts the history of the Osage people: their removal from their homelands, the boarding-school era, the discovery of oil on their reservation, which lead to great wealth and tragedy, and the celebration of Osage life today. Wahzhazhe is produced by Randy Tinker Smith and choreographed by Jenna Smith, both of Osage descent. Roman Jasinski acted as adviser on the project.
This performance was recorded on March 23, 2013 in the Rasmuson Theater of the National Museum of the American Indian.

[@isamidnight]

I sought this out after reading Killers of the Flower Moon (which mentions the ballet). I wasn't expecting it to be so emotional. Beautiful performances by all.

[@JoseCarlos-uc4wc]

So did I!

[@LA-ny2sf]

Me too!

[@ritasmith-yj4el]

Yes, I sought this out while reading the book. How fascinating! It needs to be performed in 2024-2025!!!

[@Omastian]

What an honor to watch this, thank you.

[@Omastian]

I want so much to research my Indian heritage, before my dad died he was sure it was the Osage. I have a mystery in my life I would like to solve one day.

[@SKC193]

Jason DeLozier have you found out anymore since you posted this? I grew up in Hominy, OK living next door to the Indian Village. I guess you know about the book "Killing of the Flower Moon"? If not, it is very good & you should check it out. I am 63 now & one of my fondest memories is going to the pow wows & sleeping in the "summer house" & falling asleep hearing the drums. I have Native American blood but it is Cherokee. Anyway, I had many Osage friends & my first love when I was 6 was an Osage boy. I don't remember any negative comments about "Indians" till we moved away from there. Heck, the Osage were the richest people in town! haha I encourage you to find out more, if you haven't already. I think you will be glad you did.

[@SKC193]

Also, in case you're interested the building in the background during flapper era is called the Triangle building in Pawhuska OK. Pawhuska is the capitol of Osage county.

[@RicardoWang]

Jason consider doing DNA testing...if you do have any Osage ancestry you will have at least distant cousins who are enrolled as Osage. My twin sister and I were adopted at birth and found our bio dad/Inthatsi this way (our 1st and 2nd cousins on that side tested too, I spoke with them in private and they contacted our dad for us to tell him we had been searching for him and our family for years), that and a lot lot lot of faithful prayer to Wakontah (Creator) and our ancestors to help bring us back to our bio fam again one day as I felt I had chosen them and got taken away through no choice of my own, which was true, it was tragic circumstances and fortunately our bio dad was just overjoyed as he had always hoped he could find us too again one day. This sure is strong DNA memory that runs in our blood and I understand how much it can mean to get answers and closure finally about things you did not get told the whole story on for whatever reasons. We are now learning the language and culture we did not get a chance to grow up with and are talking in Wah-zha-zhi to our kids and spouses every day to ensure the ways get passed on since we know what it feels like to be "left behind/left out and lost." Again it was due to circumstances that neither of our poor birth parents could control and I know just how lucky we are to have found our family finally as I help other adoptees or foster folks to get answers finally too. Feel free to get in touch if you like and I wish you well. Ask your ancestors to help you find them and do not be surprised at all the amazing "coincidences" that will come. :)

[@RicardoWang]

LOL Jason, I just realized I am commenting under my man's profile and not mine as I am using his laptop currently and not mine...I am really the Renee Joy who commented under J Grayhorse's comment below. :) So if you do get in touch I will see it if you contact the Renee Joy below.

[@user-gt3sj7xo1u]

Simply but beautifully told. Thank you.

[@jgrayhorse1010]

After reading the beginning text, it is a misnomer that our ancestors became willing "allies" with the U.S. Many of the treaties discuss "friendship" "peace" and mutual trade. The U.S. also pledged "protection" from the "insults and injuries" of other tribes, however, Thomas Jefferson urged Meriwether Lewis to supply Osage enemies with weapons and ammunition to attack Osages in order to drive them from their lands in a kind of proxy war, using eastern tribes being removed from their lands, as a kind of auxiliary force to implement U.S. policy of acquiring more land. Different bands of Osages within the tribe itself, also loathed the fact some of their leaders were accommodating Americans and distanced themselves, in particular, that of the Arkansas Band. An alliance denotes a system of reciprocity, which was not the case with many of the Osages dealings with American officials. We kept giving and they kept on taking.

[@reneejoy8004]

Well said.

[@eveningdim7167]

I definitely agree. Some other aspects of the history are tarnished. I can't say as to whether us Osages were happy "thru thick and thin" as it were. We were also known to be great actors. Who ensured that the other nations around them saw them as strong. And while they were free for sometime, they were still an oligarchy. The text tries to paint a positive society that died when the U.S colonized them. Meh, politics are more complicated then that. I really think the ballet could do without it.

[@donortel]

beautiful

[@haireepothead5001]

The song at 37:30 is really catchy.

[@BigPimpin21]

Very Keen

[@albaida8539]

LOS EXTERMINARON POR QUE NO LES GUSTAVA SU FORMA DE BAILAR, ELLOS PREFERÍAN QUE BAILARAN ASI

[@osagenative1791]

Wow, this is one of the most colonized renditions of Native history I have ever seen!

[@Cinnamon666Coca]

Sad but true 😢

[@Cinnamon666Coca]

Still a beautiful performance though.