Northern Cal. Osage Fall Gathering

The Northern California WAHZHAZHE Osage Fall Gathering will be held Saturday September 26th 10am-6pm *(9am for cooks) at the Petaluma Community Center— 320 N McDowell Blvd, Petaluma California. All Osages and their families are welcome; our Osage Nation and Minerals elected officials always have a standing, open invitation.

Fall NCO 2015 Agenda:

• Osage Nation Social Services representatives Leah Bighorse, Supervisor; Rebecca Fish, Adoptions Social Worker; Jenny Rush-Buffalohead, Foster Care Social Worker; and Mitzi Cunningham, Business Systems Analyst will be available for discussions and private consultation throughout the meeting. There will be a presentation on services available to Osage children and families in California (and nationwide) by Osage child protection, child welfare case management, foster care, and adoption. Emphasis will be placed on “how to” become a certified Osage foster or adoptive family resource for Osage children awaiting placement in a temporary or permanent home and the process to become certified through ONSS.
• Osage Minerals Councilwoman Kathryn Red Corn, to give a presentation on the status of the Minerals Council.
• Representing the WAHZHAZHI Cultural Center, Renee Harris will be helping our cooks in the morning to aid in preparation for the mid-day meal; she will provide information on traditional cooking techniques. Anyone interested in aiding with meal preparation and learning traditional cooking please arrive an hour early *(by 9am- and don’t forget your apron). In the afternoon, she will lead a woman’s shawl making group. The WCC is providing the shawl making material and fringe; the WCC is also providing their house Indian Dice Game sets.
• Osage writer/ photographer/ NCO member Ruby Hansen Murray will share highlights of the July Osage Nation Historic Preservation Office sponsored trip to Cahokia and Emerald Mound. She will also lead a short workshop (open to all ages and levels of experience) Personal Migrations: Stories of Home: “We’ll consider how place and Osage family history connect. Taking inspiration from Sherman Alexie, Carter Revard, and John Joseph Mathew’s Talking to the Moon, we’ll consider ways to enter stories we want to tell. We’ll write mini-essays or stories using topics or prompts provided.”

Ruby Hansen Murray is a writer and photographer living on Puget Island in the lower Columbia River estuary. An enrolled member of the Osage Nation, her work has appeared or is forthcoming in Wild in the Willamette, Yellow Medicine Review, Tribal College Journal, The Lake Rises, The Salal Review, Oregon Humanities Magazine and National Public Radio. She has been awarded residencies at Playa, Jentel and Hypatia-in-the-Woods, and has taught creative writing in tribal and community settings.

• Elected Osage Nation Officials
• WCC is bringing their Indian Dice Game sets. Get ready for the first NCO *Indian Dice Tournament with prizes!!!
• Lunch (Traditional Osage dishes)
• Raffle (please bring any gently used or new items)

The Northern California Osage group was formed by Osages living in northern California to meet for fellowship. The Northern California Osages are not affiliated with any past northern California Osage organization or any other current Osage organization. We do not hold a political agenda nor do we endorse any political candidate or issue. The group’s sole purpose is to provide a meeting space for the sharing of cultural values and ideas including issues of concern about the Osage Nation. We usually organize two meetings a year (spring & fall) hosting a diversity of guests from Oklahoma. RSVP is greatly appreciated osages@northerncaliforniaosage.org  For Northern California Osage meeting updates and information you can visit: Northern California Osage on Facebook and website: http://www.northerncaliforniaosage.org

Petaluma Hotel Accommodations & Nearby Camping: Sheraton Sonoma County, San Fran North/ Petaluma KOA, Best Western Hotel, Quality Inn, Petaluma Metro Hotel and Hotel Petaluma. Other nearby towns: Novato, Rohnert Park & Santa Rosa.