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The lessons and materials cover the past, present and future of the Osage Nation.

January 17, 2019

3 Min Read
Annie Wilson listens to Osage elder Eddy Red Eagle explaining Osage history and culture
LEARNING OPPORTUNITY: Annie Wilson listens to Osage elder Eddy Red Eagle explaining Osage history and culture. Flint Hills Map & Education Program’s map for schools is in the background. Photo courtesy of Geneva Horsechief-Hamilton, Pawhuska, Okla.

The Flint Hills Discovery Center recently introduced a new series of lesson plans to the Flint Hills Map and Education Program, a project supported by the FHDC Foundation. This project was created through collaboration of community and regional partners to first install informative maps to all schools within the Flint Hills region, but also to offer free Flint Hills-based classroom curriculum online for educators and enthusiasts alike.

On the FHDC website, teachers can find lesson plans for students K-12. The lesson plans cover topics related to various aspects of the Flint Hills and are designed to assist teachers in inspiring students to learn more about the environment around them.

The newest addition to those lesson plans are those focusing on the Osage Nation, their history, their culture, their present and their future.

“We forced native people to learn our culture. Now we have a chance to learn the timeless wisdom and deep knowledge of their cultures, which are right here in the Flint Hills,” says Annie Wilson, coordinator of the Flint Hills Map & Education Program, a Flint Hills Discovery Center project about Osage and Kanza classroom lessons and resources that is now available to students, educators and interested adults. 

Among the first comprehensive native culture-based curricula in the United States, these resources are accessible online and designed to open up a new world of learning, including over 60 classroom-ready activities for grades K-12, as well as fact sheets, maps and booklets for all ages wanting to learn more about the native cultures of the Flint Hills. 

“I am so inspired by the values and spirit of these native people. These resources not only tell the fascinating and deeply moving story of their past, but also emphasize that native people are still here in the Flint Hills, working hard to build a positive future for their people and the land,” Wilson says.

Debra Atterberry and Mary Wildcat of the Osage Nation in Pawhuska, Okla., were co-coordinators of the project. “We have a rich history,” Atterberry says, “but we also wanted to emphasize what we are doing now and our bright future.” Accordingly, half the Osage lessons are historical, and half are about what the Osage Nation is doing today. 

The resources are the result of unique partnerships. Working with Osage tribal elders, cultural experts, artists, land managers and educators, Wilson helped develop the Osage Nation resources.

Dr. Tim Fry of Emporia, associate professor of education at Washburn, helped develop educational resources about the Kaw (Kanza) culture, with special assistance from Pauline Sharp and Crystal Douglas of the Kaw Nation. 

Headquarters of both Native Nations are located in the southern part of the Flint Hills eco-region in Oklahoma.

These educational resources, including plans for additional topics and lessons, will serve the Osage and Kaw Nations, the Flint Hills Discovery Center’s map program network of over 95,000 students in 183 schools in Kansas and Oklahoma as well as scholars and all interested persons. 

Wilson likes to quote native artist Jaune Quick-to-See Smith, who said: "The history of the land on which we stand is ours, too. We can all learn from this deeper history of the Flint Hills. The knowledge and values of those who lived for many centuries on this land can guide all of us, helping us better understand and value our special place.”

The new Osage, Kanza, and other Flint Hills Native Studies Lessons and Information Resource links are available on the Flint Hills Discovery Center website and on the tribal websites for the Osage Nation and the Kaw Nation.

For more information on the Flint Hills Map and Education Program, visit flinthillsdiscovery.org, call 785-587-2726 or visit 315 S. 3rd St. in Manhattan, Kan.

Source: Flint Hills Discovery Center, which is the sole owner and is wholly responsible for this content. Informa Business Media and all its subsidiaries are not responsible for any of the content.

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