Resilience and identity of the Osage nation: A textual analysis of Killers of the Flower Moon
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.12928/notion.v7i1.11600Keywords:
Resilience, Osage, Native American, Cinematic narrativeAbstract
This study examines the resilience of the Osage Nation as portrayed in Killers of the Flower Moon, focusing on cultural persistence, adaptation, and resistance. Grounded in Antonio Gramsci’s theory of cultural hegemony, this research explores how dominant narratives shape public perceptions of Indigenous resilience and agency. This research systematically identifies and interprets recurring themes related to resilience by employing textual analysis. While existing literature on Native American resilience primarily explores broad themes, there is a notable gap in research that investigates the specific resilience strategies of distinct Native American groups, such as the Osage Nation. The findings reveal that cultural persistence ensures the continuity of traditions and values, adaptation enables survival in a changing sociopolitical landscape, and resistance plays a vital role in asserting Indigenous agency. Nonetheless, the study also highlights potential biases in the film’s portrayal, mainly focusing on victimization rather than active political and legal resistance. The research underscores the importance of analyzing cinematic representations critically, as they influence public perceptions and historical memory. Furthermore, this study highlights the limitations of fictionalized narratives as historical sources and calls for future research on the real-world impact of Indigenous representations in media on policy and cultural advocacy.
References
Anwar, C. & Murtadho, D.A. (2023). Words and expressions in movies: Indonesian English as a foreign language students’ reflection. Notion Journal of Linguistics Literature and Culture, 5(2), 136–150. https://doi.org/10.12928/notion.v5i2.7820
Basu, P. (2023). Performance, cultural resistance and social justice: India’s creative economies since the COVID-19 pandemic. Cultural Trends, 32(4), 383–397. https://doi.org/10.1080/09548963.2023.2212627
Bataille, G.M., & Silet, C.L.P. (1980). The Pretend Indians: images of native Americans in the movies. Iowa State University Press eBooks.
Benet, M. (2012). The Politics of Resource Management: Aboriginal Rights and Land Claim Settlements. Berkeley Planning Journal, 3(1). https://doi.org/10.5070/bp33113188
Bird, S.E. (2018). Dressing in feathers: The construction of the Indian in American popular culture. London: Routledge.
Bloch (Ed.). (2012). Cultural resistance: The arts of protest: New tactics in human rights. Retrieved June 6, 2024, from https://www.newtactics.org/conversation/cultural-resistance-arts-protest
Breakwell, G.M. (2021). Identity resilience: its origins in identity processes and its role in coping with threat. Contemporary Social Science, 16(5), 573–588. https://doi.org/10.1080/21582041.2021.1999488
Bromley. (1991). American Hegemony and World Oil: The Industry, the State System and the World Economy. Penn State Press.
Burns, L.F. (2009). Osage Indian Bands and Clans. Genealogical Publishing Company.
Çalişkan, Ö. (2022). Textual and visual correspondence between the novel and the film: The epistolary narrative of Love, Simon. SELÇUK ÜNİVERSİTESİ İLETİŞİM FAKÜLTESİ AKADEMİK DERGİSİ, 15(2), 558–582. https://doi.org/10.18094/josc.1105515
Cinar, K. (2015). Local determinants of an emerging electoral hegemony: the case of Justice and Development Party (AKP) in Turkey. Democratization, 23(7), 1216–1235. https://doi.org/10.1080/13510347.2015.1077228
Comet, J.N. (2024). The Osage Nation’s oil and gas: Great wealth and sheer terror. AAPG EXPLORER. Retrieved April 4, 2024, from https://explorer.aapg.org/story/articleid/66713/the-osage-nations-oil-and-gas-great-wealth-and-sheer-terror
Cornell, S. (2015). Processes of native nationhood: The indigenous politics of self-government. International Indigenous Policy Journal, 6(4). https://doi.org/10.18584/iipj.2015.6.4.4
Cultural Resistance: The Arts of protest. (N. Bloch, Interviewer). (2012, September 18). New Tactics. Retrieved June 1, 2024, from https://www.newtactics.org/conversation/cultural-resistance-arts-protest
Dawson, N.M., Coolsaet, B., Sterling, E.J., Loveridge, R., Gross-Camp, N. D., Wongbusarakum, S., Sangha, K.K., Scherl, L.M., Phan, H.P., Zafra-Calvo, N., Lavey, W.G., Byakagaba, P., Idrobo, C.J., Chenet, A., Bennett, N.J., Mansourian, S., & Rosado-May, F.J. (2021). The role of Indigenous peoples and local communities in effective and equitable conservation. Ecology and Society, 26(3). https://doi.org/10.5751/es-12625-260319
De Burca, J. (2023). Cultural heritage and resilience: Balancing preservation with adaptation: Constructive voices. Retrieved June 7, 2024, from https://constructive-voices.com/cultural-heritage-and-resilience-balancing-preservation-with-adaptation/
Dennison, J. (2017). Entangled sovereignties: The Osage Nation’s interconnections with governmental and corporate authorities. American Ethnologist, 44(4). https://doi.org/10.5149/9780807837443_dennison
Edmunds, R.D. (1999). Hollywood’s Indian: The portrayal of the native American in film. Journal of American History, 86(1), 333. https://doi.org/10.2307/2567562
Ellis, R. & Perry, D. (2020). A confluence of anticolonial pathways for indigenous sacred site protection. Journal of Contemporary Water Research & Education, 169(1), 8–26. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1936-704x.2020.03329.x
Elo, S. & Kyngäs, H. (2008). The qualitative content analysis process. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 62(1), 107–115. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2648.2007.04569.x
Evans, M. A. (2020). Black and white propaganda triggering the war in Afghanistan. Notion Journal of Linguistics Literature and Culture, 2(2), 80. https://doi.org/10.12928/notion.v2i2.2862
Fatha, N., Adam, M., Manaku, R.A., & Tangkilisan, S. (2021). Cultural appropriation of Polynesian portrayed in Moana movie. Notion: Journal of Linguistic, Literature, and Culture, 3(2), 92–98. https://journal2.uad.ac.id/index.php/notion/article/view/4885/2359
Giuliano, P., & Nunn, N. (2020). Understanding cultural persistence and change. The Review of Economic Studies, 88(4), 1541–1581. https://doi.org/10.1093/restud/rdaa074
Holtorf, C. (2018). Embracing change: How cultural resilience is increased through cultural heritage. World Archaeology, 50(4), 639–650. https://doi.org/10.1080/00438243.2018.1510340
Inskeep, S. (2017). In the 1920s, a community conspired to kill native Americans for their oil money. NPR. Retrieved April 6, 2024, from https://www.npr.org/2017/04/17/523964584/in-the-1920s-a-community-conspired-to-kill-native-americans-for-their-oil-money
Jennings, L., Anderson, T., Martinez, A., Sterling, R., Chavez, D. D., Garba, I., Hudson, M., Garrison, N.A., & Carroll, S.R. (2023). Applying the ‘CARE Principles for Indigenous Data Governance’ to ecology and biodiversity research. Nature Ecology & Evolution, 7(10), 1547–1551. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-023-02161-2
Joplin Heritage Trail. (2023, August 9). Osage Nation Historical Marker. HMDB.ORG. Retrieved April 4, 2024, from https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=230200
Justo, J. (2024, January 23). Trailblazing legacy: Unveiling the Osage Indian tribe’s rich history. Native Tribe Info. Retrieved April 5, 2024, from https://nativetribe.info/trailblazing-legacy-unveiling-the-osage-indian-tribes-rich-history/
Kim, H., Sefcik, J.S., & Bradway, C. (2016). Characteristics of Qualitative Descriptive Studies: a Systematic review. Research in Nursing & Health, 40(1), 23–42. https://doi.org/10.1002/nur.21768
Kim, Y. (2017, August 22). Cross-Cultural Adaptation. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Communication. Retrieved 10 Apr. 2024, from https://oxfordre.com/communication/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780190228613.001.0001/acrefore-9780190228613-e-21.
Klein, C. (2023, October 12). The FBI’s First Big Case: The Osage Murders. HISTORY. Retrieved April 6, 2024, from https://www.history.com/news/the-fbis-first-big-case-the-osage-murders
La Flesche. (1995). The Osage and the invisible world: From the works of Francis La Flesche. University of Oklahoma Press.
Lears, T.J.J. (1985). The concept of cultural hegemony: Problems and possibilities. The American Historical Review, 90(3), 567–593. https://doi.org/10.1086/ahr/90.3.567
Leavitt, P.A., Covarrubias, R., Perez, Y.A., & Fryberg, S.A. (2015). “Frozen in time”: The impact of native American media representations on identity and self‐understanding. Journal of Social Issues, 71(1), 39–53. https://doi.org/10.1111/josi.12095
Lipsitz, G. (1988). The struggle for hegemony. Journal of American History, 75(1), 146–150. https://doi.org/10.2307/1889660
McAullife. (1994). Bloodland: A family story of oil, greed and murder, on the Osage reservation. New York: Council Oak Books.
Neher, F. & Miola, A. (2016). Culture and resilience. In JRC Science Hub. Publications Office of European Union. https://doi.org/10.2788/937554
Planchou, C. & Baudry, S. (2022). A history of shifting settler-colonial borders: Reading the native/non-native territorial palimpsest in and around Rapid City, SD. Borders in the English-Speaking World, 49–73. https://doi.org/10.4000/books.pus.30055
Pratt, A.C. (2015). Resilience, locality and the cultural economy. City, Culture and Society, 6(3), 61–67. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ccs.2014.11.001
Purdy, J.L., & Ruppert, J. (2001). Nothing But the Truth: An anthology of Native American literature. Prentice Hall.
Raheja, M.H. (2010). Reservation reelism: Redfacing, visual sovereignty, and representations of native Americans in film. University of Nebraska Press. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt1dfnrq6
Rolfes. (2023, November 28). How The Osage Are Fighting to Protect Their Language from Extinction. Marketplace. Retrieved April 5, 2024, from https://www.marketplace.org/2023/11/28/how-the-osage-are-fighting-to-protect-their-language-from-extinction/
Roos, D. (2024, June 7). Reign of terror: The forgotten story of the Osage tribe murders. HowStuffWorks. Retrieved April 9, 2025, from https://history.howstuffworks.com/american-history/osage-tribe-murders.htm
Rosenstone, R. A. (2017). History on film/film on history: Concepts, theories and practice (3rd ed.). London: Routledge.
Rotarangi, S.J., & Stephenson, J. (2014). Resilience pivots: Stability and identity in a social-ecological-cultural system. Ecology and Society, 19(1). https://doi.org/10.5751/es-06262-190128
Sadasivam, N., Younes, L., Herrera, A., Sadasivam, N., Younes, L., & Herrera, A. (2023, November 3). How abandoned oil wells plague the Osage nation. Grist. Retrieved April 4, 2024, from https://grist.org/accountability/abandoned-oil-wells-osage-nation/
Schweninger, L. (2015). Imagic moments: indigenous North American film. Choice Reviews Online, 52(07), 52–3558. https://doi.org/10.5860/choice.189294
Sharer, H. (2023, June 15). The Power of Cultural Resistance: Challenging Oppressors Through Art, Literature and Protest. The Enlightened Mindset - Exploring the World of Knowledge and Understanding. Retrieved June 8, 2024, from https://www.tffn.net/what-is-cultural-resistance/
Singh, S., Roy, P., Sahoo, N., Mallela, N., Gupta, H., Bhattacharyya, P., Savagaonkar, M., Sultan, N., Ramnani, R., Maitra, A., & Sengupta, S. (2022). Hollywood identity bias dataset: A context oriented bias analysis of movie dialogues. In Proceedings of the Thirteenth Language Resources and Evaluation Conference (13th ed.). European Language Resources Association (ELRA). https://aclanthology.org/2022.lrec-1.565/
Si-Prince, S.P. (2024, March 27). The Dynamics of Cultural Change: Innovation, Diffusion, and Adaptation. Sociology Institute. Retrieved June 8, 2024, from https://sociology.institute/introduction-to-sociology/cultural-change-innovation-diffusion-adaptation/
Strickland, R. (1995). Osage oil: Mineral law, murder, mayhem, and manipulation. Natural Resources & Environment, 10(1), 39–43. http://www.jstor.org/stable/40923431
Sutrisno, N.S., & Kumbara. (2022). Cultural adaptation strategies of the Bali Hindu community within the multicultural society in Patoman, Banyuwangi. Vidyottama Sanatana: International Journal of Hindu Science and Religious Studies, 6(2), 205–215. https://doi.org/10.25078/vidyottama.v6i2.1811
Tawakkal, A.I.F., Monix, A.T., & Watani, E. (2021). Semiotic analysis of moral messages in animated film Raya and the Last Dragon. Notion Journal of Linguistics Literature and Culture, 3(2), 105–111. https://doi.org/10.12928/notion.v3i2.4798
Theron, L.C., & Liebenberg, L. (2014). Understanding cultural contexts and their relationship to resilience processes. In Cross-cultural advancements in positive psychology (pp. 23–36). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9415-2_2
Wajiran, W. & Septiani, N.A. (2023). The subordination of black people in the United States Toni Morrison’s novel, Beloved. Notion Journal of Linguistics Literature and Culture, 5(1), 69–81. https://doi.org/10.12928/notion.v5i1.7064
Wexler, L. (2013). Looking across three generations of Alaska natives to explore how culture fosters indigenous resilience. Transcultural Psychiatry, 51(1), 73–92. https://doi.org/10.1177/1363461513497417
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Pak Fuad
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish their articles in NOTION: journal of Linguistics, Literature, and Culture agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain the copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work.
