Daposka Ahnkodapi, a school that teaches Osage culture and language to children up to the 8th grade, shut its doors last week. The decision came from the executive branch, which declared a state of emergency over financial shortfalls in the tribe's project revenue. The Osage Congress has since issued a counterstatement, saying "the Osage government is not financially stressed."
The school's shuttering came as a surprise to many community members, some of whom aired their grievances during a congressional hearing Monday.
"The immersion school taught our children to speak," Osage Nation citizen Yancey Red Corn said. "Closing it is an attack on our language sovereignty."
After listening to concerns from Osage citizens, the Osage Nation Education Committee met Tuesday morning and sent a letter addressed to Principal Chief Joe Tillman, according to the committee's chair, Eli Potts.
"The chief chose to do this without consulting Congress," Potts said in a phone interview. "The chief can undo it without consulting Congress. I don't know if we need to do more at this point. Hopefully, the chief listens to the people who put him in office."
The letter said Daposka Ahnkodapi "represents the cornerstone of Osage language revitalization and cultural sovereignty" and the choice to close it harmed the trust of tribal citizens.
"We urge you to work with tribal leaders and community representatives to explore innovative solutions, restricted funding models, or grants to reopen Daposka Ahnkodapi and safely welcome students back," the letter said. "The Osage people deserve a truthful explanation as to the reason for closing the school and we further urge you to better communicate with the public."
All members of the Osage Congress signed the letter in support, along with more than 1,000 community members.
Potts said issuing the letter was the first step and the most expedient thing they could do.
"Our people deserve honest and truthful communication, and our elected leaders, we deserve to know a path forward," Potts said. "You don't just get to cancel this and then not chart your path forward. …And if you're sticking to this, we need to know because your Congress needs to plan appropriately."
Osage Congress met Monday to also discuss the closures of the visitor's center and Harvest Land farm, which was intended to expand food sovereignty and included food assistance for tribal citizens.
Assistant Principal Chief John Shaw was the only member of the executive branch in attendance at the governmental operations hearing held Monday. Osage Congress members asked him questions about the impact of the closures, such as layoffs. In response to many of the questions, he said the executive branch was discussing or he could not answer.