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Thursday, August 6, 2026 • A dab less hot. Highs 99-101. ☀️
Poll results:
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• 64 said, “Yes, it’s a major stakeholder.”
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New poll question at the bottom of today’s newsletter. (You can also suggest a poll question by emailing me at [email protected].)
Osage Nation closes language immersion school amid financial state of emergency
A sign inside the Osage Nation's Visitors Center. (Osage Nation Visitors Center/Facebook)
By Thomas Pablo and Sarah Liese (Twilla)
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The Osage Nation executive branch declared a state of emergency Tuesday due to financial shortfalls, further announcing the closure of its language immersion school, visitor center and Harvest Land farm on Wednesday.
Daposka Ahnkodapi, which teaches Osage culture and language to children up to the 8th grade, was closed Wednesday morning, according to Osage News and the tribe. The school, located in Pawhuska, first began operations in 2016. It means “Our School” in Osage.
The Osage Nation Visitors Center and Harvest Land will also close, the tribe wrote on its website.
The visitors center will close Saturday. The tribe says it generated minimal revenue and required substantial support.
Harvest Land is a farm designed to increase food sovereignty and production within the nation, including through food assistance for tribal citizens. It will close on Dec. 31. The tribe says it did not achieve goals of long-term sustainability or generated revenue.
The closures follow a state of emergency issued by Principal Chief Joe Tillman, who issued an executive order citing shortfalls in the tribe’s projected revenue.
👀 See also:
Tillman administration announces closures of Visitors Center and Harvest Land (Osage News)
Without warning, Tillman closes Daposka Ahnkodapi (Osage News)
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Here’s what’s happening in Oklahoma today:
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