Geoffrey Standing Bear facts for kids

Geoffrey M. Standing Bear (Osage) is an attorney and politician who has served as Principal Chief of the Osage Nation since 2014.

Early life and education

Chief Standing Bear was born into the Osage Nation in Oklahoma. He attended Bishop Kelley High School in Tulsa, Oklahoma and the University of Tulsa College of Law. He is the great-grandson of Fred Lookout.

Political career

Over the years Standing Bear became active in tribal politics as the people took more actions to assert their sovereignty. He was elected as Principal Chief of the Osage Nation and took office on July 2, 2014, after the previous chief, John Red Eagle, was impeached. Standing Bear succeeded Scott Bighorse, who had served as acting chief.

Chief Standing Bear took office after the Osage received a landmark settlement from the federal government to settle claims of mismanagement of revenues due tribal members from leased mineral rights. Under his administration, the Osage Nation worked to increase their communal landholdings, acquiring more than 50,000 acres of mostly former reservation land. This total includes the tribe's purchase from Ted Turner of the 43,000-acre Bluestem Ranch, located in historically Osage territory.

The tribe has also developed a $160 million casino in Tulsa, Oklahoma, new educational and language preservation initiatives, and two community centers. The tribe has challenged the Oklahoma Attorney General's office with regard to tribal sovereignty and water/mineral rights.

Chief Standing Bear worked extensively with Martin Scorsese and his production team to create opportunities for Osage and to promote their culture in the filming and production of Killers of the Flower Moon (2023). Not only were numerous Osage hired as actors and extras, but others were employed as technical staff behind the cameras, and were involved in research and creation of historically accurate costumes and sets.