Support the fact-based journalism you rely on with a donation to Marketplace today. Give Now!

How settlers abused financial guardianship in the Osage Nation

Government policies deemed Osages unable to handle their own money, opening the door to widespread exploitation.
A map of the Osage Indian Reservation showing oil and mineral drilling boundaries, 1917. The wealth generated by Osage reservation land was subject to theft and graft by settlers.
National Archives

The history of economic exploitation in "Killers of the Flower Moon"

How settlers stole the wealth and resources of citizens of the Osage Nation, whose reservation land in Oklahoma was rich in oil.
The film, directed by Martin Scorsese, depicts the mechanisms by which settlers could exploit the resources and wealth of the Osage Nation of Oklahoma.
Apple TV

The curse of “black gold”

Nov 6, 2023
We’re watching “Killers of the Flower Moon” in November.
Lily Gladstone and Leonardo DiCaprio star in “Killers of the Flower Moon.”
Apple TV+