Native Nation Building and Sustainability

Photo by Shane Bevel

Principal Chief Geoffrey Standing Bear will reflect on the critical role of the Osage nation vis-à-vis federal law, the creation of the FBI, and environmental resources management and sovereignty policy. He will be in conversation with Anthropology graduate student Noah Collins (Cherokee Nation/White Mountain Apache Tribe) and Astrophysics graduate student Rodrigo Córdova (Osage).

Geoffrey Standing Bear is the Principal Chief of the Osage Nation. He is the great-grandson of Osage Principal Chief Fred Lookout.

Now in his third term as Osage Nation Principal Chief, he continues the work of protecting and enhancing the Osage culture, language, and lands.

Before his election, Chief Standing Bear practiced law for 34 years. He concentrated on federal Indian law receiving national recognition by Best Lawyers in America, Oklahoma Super Lawyers, and a listing with Chambers and Partners. He served as Assistant Principal Chief of the Osage Tribe from 1990 through 1994 and was a Member of the Osage Nation Congress from 2010 to 2014. While a practicing lawyer he was involved in the first federal Indian gaming case in Oklahoma.

In 2017, Chief Standing Bear was recognized by Oklahoma Magazine as an Oklahoman of the Year for his leadership of the Osage Nation. In 2021 the Tulsa World selected him as one of their Tulsans of the Year. He received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Oklahoma and received his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Tulsa.

He sees the Osage Nation expanding its land base, maintaining its vibrant traditions, and bringing back the Osage language to daily use. His belief is that this and much more can be done through the power of the Osage child and it is therefore the duty of all his people to protect and nurture the children of the Nation.

Under his leadership, the Osage Nation has set new goals and found how powerful working together for a common goal can overcome almost any obstacle.

In conversation with:
Rodrigo Córdova Rosado (Osage Nation), Astrophysical Sciences
Noah Collins (Cherokee Nation/White Mountain Apache Tribe), Anthropology

Co-organized with Natives at Princeton and the Native Alumni of Princeton. Co-sponsored by the Pace Center for Civic Engagement, the University Center for Human Values, the Native American and Indigenous Studies Initiative at Princeton (NAISIP), the Carl A. Fields Center for Equality and Cultural Understanding, the Liechtenstein Institute on Self-Determination, and the Office of Access, Diversity, and Inclusion in the Graduate School.