A. “Ancestral lands” means any and all lands established as being originally inhabited by the Osage people as determined, identified and published by the Osage Nation Historic Preservation Office through an Ancestral Lands Map or other official document.

B. “Congress” means the legislative branch of the Osage Nation unless otherwise indicated.

C. “Cultural resources” means any prehistoric or historic objects or indicators of Osage or ancestral Osage activity.

D. “Custody” means ownership or control of a cultural resource.

E. “Customary” means according to the customs or usual practices associated with the Osage people, present and past.

F. “Executive Branch” means the Executive Branch of the Osage Nation.

G. “Funerary objects” means items that, as part of the death rite or ceremony of culture, are reasonably believed to have been placed intentionally at the time of death or later with or near individual human remains.

H. “Historic property” means any prehistoric or historic district, site, building, structure, or object included in, or eligible for inclusion in, the National Register of Historic Places maintained by the Secretary of the United States Department of the Interior or the Osage Nation Register of Historic Places maintained by the THPO. This term includes artifacts, records, and remains that are related to and located within such properties. The term includes properties of traditional religious and cultural importance to the Osage people.

I. “Historic resources” means the subset of cultural resources that includes items of historic significance to the Osage people and historic properties.

J. “Human remains” means all physical remains of a human body, even if in fragmentary form, unless it is determined that the human remains had been freely given or naturally shed by the individual from whose body they were obtained, such as hair made into ropes or nets or individual teeth. Human remains incorporated into a funerary object, sacred object, or object of cultural patrimony must be considered as part of that item and as a cultural resource item.

K. “Items of cultural patrimony” means an object having ongoing historical, traditional, or cultural importance central to the Osage Nation culture.

L. “National Historic Preservation Act” or “NHPA” means the federal law codified at 54 U.S.C. § 300101 et seq. and its implementing regulations creating the National Register of Historic Places, State Historic Preservation Offices, and Tribal Historic Preservation Offices. The act is intended to preserve historical and archaeological sites in the United States of America.

M. “NPS agreement” means the agreement between the National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior and the Osage Nation for the assumption by the Tribe of certain responsibilities pursuant to the National Historic Preservation Act executed for the purpose of the Osage Nation assuming the functions of a State Historic Preservation Officer with respect to tribal lands.

N. “Osage people” and/or “people” means enrolled tribal members of the Osage Nation.

O. “Osage Nation Historic Preservation Office” and/or “ONHPO” means the Osage Nation Historic Preservation Office or other department as designated and granted with such authority by the Principal Chief to carry out this chapter.

P. “Principal Chief” means the Osage Nation Principal Chief or other designee acting on the behalf of the Principal Chief with such authority.

Q. “Tribal Historic Preservation Officer” and/or “THPO” means the Osage Nation Historic Preservation Officer or other designee as identified by the Principal Chief.

R. “Traditional Osage culture” means the customary Osage life ways, societal organization and worldview as traditionally practiced by the Osage people. ONCA 07-24, eff. June 12, 2007; ONCA 21-114, eff. Apr. 11, 2022.