Conversations With Osage Tribal Elders

Hello sweet friends! Recently I traveled to the Little House on the Prairie museum site to photograph a few final historical clothing pieces for my upcoming book. During that time I had truly lovely Conversations With Osage Tribal Elders.

Conversations With Osage Tribal Elders

It was a hot and humid Kansas day when  I met with these three absolutely amazing ladies. 

Miss Margaret Bird is a seamstress and creates authentic Native American historical and traditional clothing.

Shown in the middle is Miss Kathryn Red Corn. Miss Red Corn was the longtime director of the Osage Tribal Museum, the oldest tribally owned museum in the country. 

To the right is Miss Joan McCauley a Storyteller who also assists Miss Bird when she presents her clothing at fashion shows. 

Miss Bird has been working on historical and traditional Native American clothing since she was a young girl. As an adult, she contacted elders of several tribes to request to study their regalia (ceremonial dance and traditional clothing) as well as permission to reconstruct and show the clothing. Miss Bird’s attention to detail and accuracy has garnered her credibility with the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C.

She has taught many classes with the hope that the next generation will continue on with this important endeavor. Her dream is to have a museum to showcase her life’s work.

So far Miss Bird has made 50 complete sets of clothing that include such tribes as the Osage, Cherokee, Sioux, Navajo, and Delaware. They have been shown at fashion shows across the country. The shows are an important element as this is how she raises funds for her work. For more information on fashion shows hosted by Miss Bird, please contact The Waterbird Gallery at (918) 287-9129.     

Miss Bird also has a Facebook page where you can view more images. 

Photo courtesy of the Osage News. 

This Week’s Video

You can view the entire interview with these wonderful ladies on YouTube. Just click HERE.

I’ll be back on Sunday.

Laura