§ 1-103. Purpose – Declaration of policy.
A. The purpose of this chapter is to carry out the intent and will of the Osage Nation Constitution, Article XVI, Section 1, which states: “The Osage People have the inherent right to preserve and foster their historic and cultural lifeways
”; and “The Osage Nation shall protect and promote the language, culture and traditional ways of the Osage People.
”
B. Therefore, it is the policy of the Osage Nation to:
1. Protect, preserve, and promote the historic and traditional lifeways of the Osage people and the Osage culture;
2. Preserve in place, repatriate, or implement interim protective measures for cultural resources and items of cultural patrimony, including but not limited to prehistoric and historic objects and places;
3. Implement mitigation for the destruction of cultural resources and items of cultural patrimony, including but not limited to prehistoric and historic objects and places; and
4. Preserve in place, protect, and repatriate all Osage ancestors and funerary objects to the best of our abilities according to traditional Osage culture and as guided by our understanding of Osage practices when burying our people. ONCA 07-24, eff. June 12, 2007; ONCA 21-114, eff. Apr. 11, 2022.